


Unleashed

by DivaJung86



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Homin - Freeform, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Romance, Smut, Supernatural Elements, side yoosu, slight jongkey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 10:14:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5123825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivaJung86/pseuds/DivaJung86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It seems only yesterday that everything was normal.</p>
<p>It’s been much longer than that, of course, but it’s amazing how time flies when you’re adjusting to a traumatic experience. Jung Yunho used to be a normal man, in every sense of the adjective. A successful businessman, he made a decent living for himself, and had hoped to one day be able to easily support a family as well. He worked hard, tried to climb his way up the corporate ladder, just like everyone else. If he’d have known that one little business trip would change the course of his life forever, perhaps he’d have skipped it.</p>
<p>"I was not born, I was made...."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Animal Inside

**Author's Note:**

> I was prompted by several of my readers on AFF to do a werewolf/ alphaomegaverse spin on HoMin, which I have done. It was supposed to be a few chapters....and now the goddamn thing seems to never end LOL. Welcome to my life. Enjoy!
> 
> PLEASE BE AWARE:  
> *This is my own unique creation. This may not be exactly like every other alpha/omega or werewolf trope you've read. There's no knotting, for example. I've created my own rules, so be open-minded please!

It seems only yesterday that everything was normal.

It’s been much longer than that, of course, but it’s amazing how time flies when you’re adjusting to a traumatic experience. Jung Yunho used to be a normal man, in every sense of the adjective. A successful businessman, he made a decent living for himself, and had hoped to one day be able to easily support a family as well. He worked hard, tried to climb his way up the corporate ladder, just like everyone else. If he’d have known that one little business trip would change the course of his life forever, perhaps he’d have skipped it.

Yunho’s time in Russia was memorable at first. Yes, there were meetings he had to attend, but once those were out of the way, for the most part, he was able to do whatever he desired. Most of the time was spent touring, getting shit-faced on different types of vodka, and trying to get some hot Russian pussy. He was fairly successful in all said endeavors, and considered the trip to be the time of his life. One day, however, he made a decision that would come to ruin everything.

He figured he ought to take a break from all the fucking and drinking one Saturday, and decided to get outside the city a bit and explore some of the local culture. He made his way to a rural area, one could almost call it a village.  It seemed quaint enough, seaside and with plenty of shops and historic buildings, fragments of a bygone era. Yunho made his way through a market, stopping at a few stands and purchase knick-knacks, trying new foods. One particular stall caught his eye, ran by an elderly woman with an intense expression. Her eyes were those of someone who had seen many things, not all of them good. She beckoned him over, and he felt compelled to obey.

The stall itself was fairly plain, and in front of the woman sat a tea set, very old and rather primitive looking. “Come. Drink.” The woman had said, and although part of Yunho was screaming at him not to listen, it’s like he had no choice. She handed him a cup, and the smell wafted into Yunho’s nostrils, making him a bit queasy from the strong aroma. He quickly realized that it was not tea at all, which is what he’d naturally assumed, but rather some kind of beer or alcohol. Not wanting to appear rude, particularly since he was a foreigner, he drank. The taste was nearly a bad as the smell, but he kept it down, smiling as best he could and thanking the woman.

“Now,” she said, accent thick, “repeat after me. Russian tradition, you say after drink.” Yunho nodded and smiled. He wanted to be authentic after all. “Chelovek stanovitsya volkom.” The woman said, and Yunho repeated as best he could. “Again.” She instructed, and Yunho obeyed. He said it twice more, and suddenly was struck with weakness. Yunho’s world turned to black quickly, his senses dulling as he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weeks that followed were terrifying. Yunho had returned to his home in Seoul a changed man, but he didn’t realize just how much he had changed at first. He had felt weird at times, but dismissed it as an illness, or the result of undue stress. The first change happened much as the legends dictate, when the moon was full and high in the sky. Yunho had honestly thought that he was dying at first. It hurt. _Merciful Christ,_ it hurt. Unlike any pain he’d ever known. He body wracked with spasms, his skin crawling violently, spine bending unnaturally, so much though he swore it would snap in half. When it was finally over and Yunho looked in the mirror, there was no longer a man standing there, but rather a monster, large, vicious, and black as night.

Yunho had taken off that night, down the stairs of his apartment building, out the back door and just ran. He ran, ran, and ran some more, until he was far outside of Seoul, somewhere in the woods, god knows how many miles away. Though he was still horrified and scared, something felt freeing about the run, the wind rustling through his onyx fur and the soft padding of his paws against the ground underneath him. It felt natural, normal. Yunho made his first kill that night, which was disgusting, but somehow able to nourish him. Everything felt so strange, he didn’t know how to explain anything that was happening to him. His mind was in a constant state of panic, but yet somehow his body knew exactly what to do. It was like being trapped in someone else’s skin, and Yunho was like a blind man trying to navigate through a new life.

Other wolves came to him, calmed him, spoke to him. They said that they had smelled his anxiety, sensed it from miles away. They explained to him what he was, what had happened to him, how to communicate, what he had to do moving forward. It was all too much to take in then, but those three men soon became of utmost importance to Yunho. Looking back on it now, if it hadn’t been for Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun guiding him, Yunho thinks he’d have most likely wound up dead. Or worse, gone insane and taken his own life. It was almost like he was a newborn again, learning how to crawl, then walk, and then finally, run.

Yunho has learned much over the past few months, and feels somewhat comfortable in his own skin. At least, the shock has worn off, if nothing else. He’s been able to manage keeping his job, though he’s had to take unexpected leave on a few occasions and make a few excuses here and there. Nothing unreasonable, and he’s amazed at how easily he’s adapted despite it all. Yunho has also mastered the art of freely manipulating his body into whatever form it needs to be, precisely when he needs it. The other three have helped, and Yunho has fallen into an easy pattern, maintaining a normal façade as best he can in front of his regular friends. It’s been tough at times, but he’s gotten through it, mostly keeping to himself when he’s not doing business.

Yunho has often thought of going back to Russia and trying to find the woman, ask her just what in the hell was in that drink, possibly kill her for doing this to him. But Jaejoong advised against it, saying it would solve nothing, and Yunho realized that he was right. He is what he is now, and there’s no sense dwelling in the past. It still haunts him, the one big question: why? Why him? Was he chosen at random, or was it purposeful? Was it even the drink at all, or something that happened simultaneously by chance, caused by something else entirely? One day, Yunho is determined to find the answer to these questions, but for now, he focuses on adapting and overcoming his immediate obstacles.

The one thing that is still somewhat confusing to him is the way the others treat him. They help him, guide him, instruct him, but yet they fear him. He doesn’t understand why they are always so careful around him, why they bow so low in greeting, whether in wolf or human form, and most importantly, why they insist on calling him “Alpha.” He doesn’t understand it, but every time the word is uttered, strength flows through his veins in a rush. He feels emboldened, almost superhuman, like adrenaline is seeping into him from every pore.

He might not know what it means just yet, but Yunho certainly knows what it does to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More months pass, and Yunho has a better understanding of what it means to be an alpha. The human part of him thinks the whole rank system is silly, but the animal part knows it’s all there is, it’s  _everything._ The others continually talk of mating, saying that soon Yunho will find his other half, the ‘omega’ that would help him continue his proud alpha lineage. Yunho rather likes the sound of that. Though he’s long been a bachelor, Yunho’s always dreamed of finding ‘the one,’ a beautiful wife that would carry many children for him and fill him with pride. He’s not entirely sure how this works with his ‘kind,’ but he imagines that, much like with everything else, instinct will dictate.

One Saturday night, Yunho, Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun are out in the woods again, on the hunt. The four of them have a system down while hunting, and it’s like clockwork. Yunho always makes the final kill, while the other three strategically trap their prey to get it to where their leader needs it in order to finish it off. The trap is set, and Yunho is bearing down on the deer they’ve caught, ready to make the final strike and finish it off. He leans down, jaws opened wide, teeth aching to sink into the meaty flesh and tear it apart. Then, the unexpected happens. A smell hits Yunho. A scent, unlike anything he’s ever experienced, so sickly sweet and enticing that it renders him immobile, drunk on the aroma.

Yunho backs away, yellow eyes wide, fur bristling as he snaps his jaw shut. The deer struggles and gets out of his grip, darting away through the trees as fast as a bullet. “ _Alpha_..” Jaejoong questions, padding over to the leader. “ _What are you doing? Is something_   _wrong?_ ” Yunho turns to his second, and the moment Jaejoong sees his expression, he knows what must be done. “ _You smell them, don’t you alpha?_ _Your mate? Run to it. We’ll follow_.” Junsu and Yoochun turn to each other, exchanging looks, leaning back on their haunches, ready to pounce into action and follow. Yunho inhales deeply, then takes off, the other three doing their best to keep up.

Yunho knows absolutely nothing but that smell, it fills all of his senses, and the closer he gets to its origin, the more he feels like he’s drowning in it. Following his nose brings him to clearing, which opens out onto a lake, frozen over due to the frigid winter temperatures. Towards the center of the lake, lies a wolf, on its side. It’s a honey-brown color, the coat shimmering beautifully in the moonlight. Yunho’s heart drops into his stomach as it hits him, “ _This is mine. This is the one.”_ His instincts propel him forward, and he rears back, getting a running start before hitting the ice, gliding quickly on his paws towards the figure.

The others stay behind, content to watch the scene unfold. None of them have met their mates just yet, so they’re dying to see their leader have this monumental experience. Yunho continues to glide, digging his claws into the ice to stop himself once he arrives within safe walking distance to his mate. The closer he gets, he realizes that the she-wolf is shuddering, making little whimpering noises, pawing at the ice beneath her. Yunho is overwhelmed by her scent, that same feeling he gets when the other wolves call him “Alpha” zinging through his entire body, every cell of his being screaming, “ _mine. Take. Claim. Mine. All mine.”_ Holding himself in check as best he can, he finally arrives at his destination, leaning down to give the fur below the she-wolf’s ear a long lick.

He is greeted with a howl in return, the sound filled with longing and desperation. It beats against his eardrums like a demand, the inner mantra of “ _mine. Take. Claim. Mine”_ now even louder, more demanding. The body beneath him trembles violently, shifting, changing into that of a human form. Yunho blinks in shock as he quickly realizes that his mate is not a woman, but in fact, a man. A beautiful man. The most gorgeous man he’s ever seen in his life. The man turns to meet his gaze, and mismatched eyes bore into his own, soft hair framing his face, light illuminating his features, making him glow. Those eyes are glazed, mixed emotions flitting across his youthful face, all of them extreme. “Alpha…” he whines, “Alpha, I could smell you for  _miles_. Oh  _god,_ Alpha, I can’t take it anymore. Please….”

Yunho’s surprise dissipates quickly. His body doesn’t seem to care what gender his mate is, and he is quickly losing the battle of mind over instinct. Something ancient, something purely primal has taken over him, and in sight of that, nothing else can stand. Yunho throws his head back, letting out a howl of his own, one that says proudly, “ _You’re mine. I will take what is mine.”_ He shifts into his own human form, watching as his mate’s eyes widen in shock, then become lidded with desire. Considering the temperature, and the nudity of both men, they should be on the verge of hypothermia by now, but the very opposite is true. The air around the two is  _burning,_ heat encasing both of their bodies, licking at their skin like flames.

Yunho rolls the man onto his back, and climbs on top of him, eyes reflecting the heat surrounding them. “What is your name, mine?” He asks, and the man whimpers again, thrusting his hips upward to generate any kind of friction against his already painfully hard erection. Yunho growls in response, feeling his own cock begin to lengthen and harden in response. “My…name…is Changmin…..” the man chokes out, panting. “P..please, take me alpha….take me….I need you….” Changmin wraps sinfully long legs around Yunho’s back, pulling him in closer, needing to feel more of his alpha’s skin on his own. Yunho’s blood is boiling, the need becoming too much for him to deny much longer. “My name is Yunho, and you will address me as such.” Changmin nods fervently, “Yes, Yunho. Yes,  _please_ Yunho…”

Yunho reaches down between them, pulling back a bit so he can position the head of his cock at Changmin’s entrance. He’s met with another bit of shock when he sees the moisture gathered around the puckered hole, slick leaking out of it copiously. One whiff tells Yunho that this is the source of the smell, or at least a large majority of it, and he just can’t wait any longer. “I’m so wet for you, Yunho,  _please…”_ Changmin begs, and it’s all the more encouragement Yunho needs.

Just as Yunho is about to take what’s rightfully his, another howl slices through the air like a jackknife, echoing off the ice and rattling Yunho’s bones with its urgency. He looks up, seeing a large, glimmering grey wolf at the edge of the frozen lake, and it looks none too pleased. Yunho himself is furious at having been interrupted, and plans to make sure this newcomer knows it. The silver wolf slides onto the ice, and Yunho morphs back into his feral form, placing himself across Changmin’s body, covering him, guarding his property. Changmin whimpers feverishly, whole body convulsing, the heat getting stronger. “Yunho…” he begs… “Just take me…take me _please….”_

The grey wolf glides across the ice with expert ease, arriving in front of Yunho, who bares his teeth instinctively.  _“I’d back down, if I were you.”_ The wolf speaks to him in his mind, just like Jaejoong did earlier, something Yunho is still getting used to. It’s intrusive, and he doesn’t much care for the other’s tone. “ _And why should I? This is mine. What do you want?”_ Yunho feels a shock run through his body, intensity radiating off of the wolf in front of him, silvery fur rustling. “ _You obviously don’t know who you’re dealing with. This is my territory, my pack reigns here. And I want this omega for my mate. Now leave before I tear you apart.”_ There’s movement behind Yunho, and he senses that his comrades are flanking him.

Jaejoong speaks to only him, issuing a warning. “ _That’s Siwon, Yunho. He’s the alpha of the pack that runs this area. You really don’t want this fight, boss.”_ Yunho shakes his head, mind already made up. Though he’s still new to this life, he’s apparently an alpha too, and very much wants the man lying beneath him. Enough to risk his life for it. His mind is clouded, and something else takes over, basic instinct that refuses to be denied. He hears Changmin howl desperately below him, feels the heat from his body spread out and beat against his underbelly, and the decision is already made. Not giving Siwon a chance to defend himself, Yunho lunges, slamming the other wolf backwards onto the ice.

A loud crack is heard, a fissure forming through the top layer of ice as their bodies slam into it, both wolves wrestling for dominance. Yunho extends his jaw, opened wide and aiming for Siwon’s throat, but doesn’t quite make it. The other wolf catches him, shouldering him off, the two swapping places, Yunho’s back against the freezing ice. Siwon goes for the jugular, and Yunho slams his paws into the other’s chest, trying to force him away. He fends him off for a few moments, then Siwon decides to use a paw instead, swiping at Yunho’s chest with long claws, leaving a gash in their wake. The pain does what it’s supposed to do, knock Yunho off guard enough that Siwon can go in for the kill.

Jaws are at Yunho’s throat, but he refuses to give up. He feels the canines sink into his skin, blood pooling to the surface and beginning to seep into his fur. Something inside him rages, a strength he didn’t know he possessed comes to the forefront, surging though him like an electric current. Yunho shoves at Siwon, prying him away from his neck and throwing him off of him with a hearty growl. The wolf flies a few feet in the air before slamming against the ice again, more fissures forming and chunks of ice flying. Learning his lesson this time, Yunho climbs atop Siwon and holds him down, clamping his jowls around the grey wolf’s neck, sharp teeth tearing through flesh, getting a good grip before yanking backward, pulling a huge chunk of fur and tendon with it, blood spraying, painting the white ice with splatters of red. Siwon jolts forward, eyes glazing over rapidly, before thumping back down onto the ice, all movements stopped, the light in his eyes gone. Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun pad quickly over to the scene, surveying it with shock and horror.

Yunho’s head explodes with their chatter, “ _oh my god, we’re in big trouble now…” “What did you DO, Yunho?” “What if the pack comes after us?”_ on and on and on until Yunho just can’t take it anymore. “ _ENOUGH!”_  he roars, and the three silence immediately. “ _I’ve got other priorities. Now, help me get Changmin off the ice, then get the fuck out of here.”_ Jaejoong looks rather unhappy, but doesn’t deign to disobey such an order. The three morph up into human form, and Yunho quickly follows suit. The four of them each grab Changmin, either by a limb or around his chest and waist, pulling his writhing form up and shuffling across the ice carefully, as fast as they can without slipping. They make it to the edge, setting Changmin down at the base of the tree. Yunho looks up at his comrades, and they each nod in turn, settling down into their respective wolf forms and scurrying away.

“ _Yunho….”_ Changmin moans, head rolling from side to side in anguish. Yunho kneels, taking his position atop his soon-to-be mate. Changmin gasps, noticing the deep punctures along the alpha’s neck, blood leaking out of them at a steady rate. “Yunho…you’re injured….” Yunho just shakes his head lightly, not concerned with such things. He knows he heals rapidly; no doubt the flesh is already regenerating as they speak. The rush of the kill still runs through Yunho’s veins, pumping feverishly, making him rabid with want for his prize. He’s earned his reward, and nothing will stop him from taking it, not all the hounds of hell or all the gods in heaven. He spreads Changmin’s legs, noticing the wet sheen covering his thighs, deciding his mate is more than ready. He slides in with one forceful thrust, Changmin’s back arching with surprising grace. He wraps his legs around Yunho’s waist, trying to pull him in closer, arms encircling his strong neck. “More…more… _please.._ give me more…”

Yunho slides in and out of the slick heat, powerful arms planted on either side of Changmin’s head, giving him proper leverage to give his new lover what he’s asking for. Changmin’s nails dig into his back, leaving long, red streaks along the tan, muscled flesh as Yunho moves, pounding, manic, hips working overtime. Yunho is thick, elongated and gaining even more thickness with every stroke, until Changmin feels as if he’s being split in half. “Yunho…oh  _god…Alpha…..yes…..”_ Yunho licks a stripe up Changmin’s jaw, nipping at the soft skin, leaving a trail of red marks, foreshadowing of the claim he will stake soon. “I’ve got you, baby, I’ve got you…” He promises, never stopping, never slowing down, their bodies rocking together on the snow-tipped grass.

There is nothing slow about their mating, no time to take extra care, to slow down or tease. The need is too strong, primal urges consuming them, making them the animals they truly are. Changmin is wailing, face buried in Yunho’s neck as the alpha works into him, the relentless in and out, the fullness stretching him and pushing him closer and closer to sweet oblivion. Yunho’s movements become even more manic, and Changmin is long gone, hanging on to the alpha for dear life and chanting his name like a mantra, like he needs it to survive. Changmin’s head is thrown back, hips jutting forward to meet is alpha push for push, sweat coursing between them, skin sliding against skin and it’s nothing short of perfect. Yunho grasps Changmin’s thigh, holding it up a bit to open him up more, pushing in even deeper. Yunho leans in to capture Changmin’s lips, tugging his bottom lip between sharp canines, breaking the skin. Changmin gasps, and Yunho growls from deep within his throat, knowing the end is near.

“Yunho….” Changmin begs….”I’m gonna cum, oh my  _god….make me cum….”_ Yunho propels into him with precision, and Changmin’s vision falters, toes curling involuntarily when it hits him all at once. With a scream of “ALPHA!” that echoes throughout the forest, Changmin finds his release, streaking it betweem them, convulsing from the sheer force of it. Yunho lets out a howl, victorious, ready to finish this and claim Changmin forever. He keeps moving, moving his lips to Changmin’s ear, hissing, “You’re mine. Tell me your mine. Tell me how I own you and how much you love it.” Changmin moans, he is no match for that commanding tone, that alpha voice that demands the whole of his being to submit. “Yunho…” he pants, still breathless, “I’m yours. All yours….Oh  _baby…”_ he arches, overly sensitive, “You own me, Yunho. You own me and I love it. I  _need_ it.”

“That’s right, pretty baby….” Yunho grunts, hips stuttering as he nears his own climax, the one that will seal the deal. “You’re perfect. Perfect and mine.” He states reverently, latching onto Changmin’s neck, and the omega feels all the energy drain from his body as canines dig into his skin. He goes limp, pliant, claimed in the most primitive of ways. Within mere moments, Changmin feels warm release splattering inside him, his alpha’s seed filling him, and he feels whole and content. Changmin feels like he has a home now, a place with his alpha. Yunho takes a few moments to gather himself, aftershocks rolling over him, gently subsiding. He knows he’s too large to pull out now, Jaejoong explained all this madness to him a few weeks back. It will no doubt take a few more rounds before he can do so. But frankly, Yunho doesn’t have issue with that at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two newly mated lovers join over and over, losing count. Changmin’s voice is strained and raw, a slow, sweet ache spreading through his inner walls from the constant abuse. The snow around their bodies has completed melted by the time the sun rises, the heat of their passion melting it all away. When they finally separate, it almost feels wrong. Like they’re supposed to stay attached like that forever. Nevertheless, Yunho takes Changmin to his home, making plans to start their new life together. After all, Yunho has no intention of letting his lover leave his sight if he can help it. Not after what happened on the ice.

Yunho soon discovers that Changmin, like himself, works in an office building. Over the course of the next month, Yunho is able to get Changmin a position at his job, allowing him to keep a watchful eye and take care of him when needs arise. After all, being their kind has some disadvantages that are at times difficult to mask in the normal world, and measures need to be taken. All seems to be going well, and the two lovers grow in their relationship, learning more and more about each other as the days go by. One day, however, Changmin tells Yunho something that terrifies him. More so than anything ever has.

Yunho could sense something was wrong; Changmin had awoken that morning bathed in sweat, his stomach rolling uneasily. Once they got to the office, Changmin had immediately thrown up his just-eaten breakfast, the raw meat that normally sustains him setting his stomach into a persistent state of upset. Changmin was irritable all day, and Yunho dismissed it as being due to his illness. Changmin knew better, however. Unlike Yunho, Changmin was raised a wolf, and later discovered his human side, having to painstakingly relearn everything he’d known since birth. Changmin knew the life of an animal, and he instantly knew what was happening to him.

When they arrived home that evening, Changmin sat Yunho down on the couch, insisting that he had something important to tell him. Yunho sipped his evening coffee, the one human luxury he just couldn’t stay away from, and waited for his lover to speak.

Changmin’s next words had him spilling said coffee directly into his lap, scalding his skin for a few moments before the burnt skin began to rejuvenate and heal itself.

“Yunho….I’m pregnant.”


	2. The Past Always Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin sighs contentedly, feeling happier than perhaps he’s ever felt. “I love you, too. And thank you. Daddy.”
> 
> Yunho gasps, a shudder rolling over his spine at the word. “I can definitely get used to hearing that…” he murmurs happily, wrapping a possessive arm around Changmin’s waist, rubbing in circles around his stomach, inside which their children already beginning to grow and develop.
> 
> “Mine……..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, the real ages of these idols are of no consequence in this AU. For example: Minho is older than Changmin. Just roll with it XD

Yunho just sits there; stunned, confused, (also in a bit of pain from the scalding coffee, but that goes nearly unnoticed) and unmoving. “Wh….what?!” He manages, once words are again able to be formed.

“I’m pregnant, Yunho.” Changmin repeats, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Yunho deadpans, mouth open awkwardly, gaping like a fish. Changmin rolls his eyes, waiting for his lover to gather himself and stop looking like a complete idiot. “Um…” Yunho ventures, “How? You’re…you’re a guy….”

Changmin huffs, agitated. “Tell me something I don’t know, genius. This is normal. You didn’t know that were-males could get pregnant, too?”

Yunho shakes his head, mouth still hanging open stupidly. “No…..no, I sure didn’t. That would have been a handy piece of information. Remind me to kill Jaejoong later….”

“Yunhoooooo….” Changmin whines, agitation furthering by the moment. “Can’t you be happy or something? Like, say I love you, or get all mushy like a normal person?” Yunho laughs, pitched a bit higher than usually, speaking in a slightly hysterical tone. “If you haven’t noticed, baby, nothing about me is normal. Or a person. This whole situation defies the word  _normal,_ thank you very much.” He sighs, planting his face in his hands, letting this new information process. “Just…just give me a minute, Min…” He mumbles, trying to steady his heavy breathing.

Changmin just stares at him, trying to be understanding. He realizes this is new for Yunho, as over the past few months, Changmin had learned how Yunho went through the change, (though it sounded a bit strange to him, admittedly..) how he had been just your average human before, for the majority of his life. Whereas Changmin, on the other hand, having been born wolf, had to do the opposite, learning the ways of humanity in order to be able to function in its’ society.  Regardless of this knowledge, Changmin can’t help but to be quite a bit hurt by the other’s reaction and apparent lack of support. Suddenly, Yunho’s head darts up again, “Wait. How do you give birth? Wouldn’t it kill you? Surely it won’t come out the…. _oh god_ …..” Yunho pales, eyes wide.

Changmin exhales sharply. “Yunho, for god’s sake!” He snaps, fed up. “It’s a very simple process. Jaejoong, the others, and I will guide you through everything. It’s a little risky, but hundreds, maybe  _thousands_ , of were-pups are born every day from male weres. Now, can you stop freaking out and give me a hug or something?!?” Changmin looks to be on the verge of tears, eyes glistening, his voice high-pitched and cracking at the ends of phrases.

That snaps Yunho out of his daze right quick, and he hops to his feet, cooing at his lover. “Hey…hey, baby…hey….” He wraps his arms around Changmin’s waist and pulls him into an embrace, letting the now falling tears hit on his shoulder as the younger plants his face there. Changmin loops his arms around the older’s neck, holding on tightly. “I’m sorry, Min…I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings….” Yunho whispers sweetly into Changmin’s ear, soothing him. Changmin sniffles, replying, “I just….they’re our  _babies,_ Yunho!” He wails, distraught. “You’re supposed to be happy!”

Yunho tightens his hold, rubbing a hand up and down Changmin's back, doing his best to calm him. “Hey, I  _am_ happy, babe, I promise, ok?” He pulls back a bit, tucking a finger under Changmin's chin and tilting it up, forcing the younger to meet his gaze. “You hear me? I'm ecstatic, I promise. This is just really strange for me, and I'm worried about you, that's all, ok?” Yunho swipes his thumb over Changmin's chin, gently caressing, and the younger nods. “Ok,” he says, a few stray tears running down his cheeks, which Yunho reaches to swipe away with haste. “Min, I  _love_ you. I can't think of anyone I'd rather raise children with.” Changmin blinks, seemingly appeased, offering a soft smile. “Kiss me,” he demands, and Yunho is all too happy to comply.

Their mouths meld, and Yunho's mind blanks, knowing only the feel of soft lips sliding against his own. As the two have only been together roughly two months, everything is still fresh and new, and every time they kiss it still feels like heaven on earth. Yunho simply can't get enough of it. Changmin's lips seem made for kissing, soft and plump, and the younger responds so enthusiastically that it continually takes Yunho's breath away. In addition, despite their non-existent courtship and for only being together such a short time, their love runs deep. It's not something that can be easily explained, it's the animal sides of themselves that created the bond and sealed it. Yunho knew from the moment he saw Changmin that he loved him, it wasn't something he had to figure out or decide. It was primal, yet as natural as breathing, and still is.

When they finally break apart, Yunho simply stares at Changmin, studying his face, which is flushed from kissing and crying. He looks a mix of both breathtaking and adorable, and it hits Yunho like a punch to the gut. “So,” he queries, “you keep saying bab _ies_ , plural. How do we know how many there will be?” Changmin reaches up to gently cup Yunho’s cheek, grateful that the older is seeming to handle all of this a bit better now. A bit more like the reaction he’d been hoping for. “We won’t know until they’re born. But, the average litter for our kind is 4 to 5.” Yunho’s eyes widen considerably, inwardly doing the math. “That many? But…won’t you be huge?!”

Changmin giggles, “It’s very possible. I’ll have to figure something out about work. The gestation period for us is about half that of humans, so I’ll be starting to show some time next month.” Yunho nods, leaning into the younger’s touch. He straightens a bit, chuckling, “Yea, I imagine if you walked into the company with a giant pregnant belly, it might cause a bit of an uproar.” Changmin laughs in return, splaying the fingers of his other hand across the back of Yunho’s neck, rubbing against the fine hairs there. “True. I’ll figure it out. I’ll file for medical leave, or something like that.” “Hey,” Yunho leans in, planting a chaste kiss to the corner of Changmin’s mouth. “Let me worry about that, ok? I’ll take care of it.” Changmin beams, glad to know that he has Yunho’s support, that they’re in this together. “Now,” Yunho continues, “I’m beat, and I’d be willing to bet you are, too. Bed?”

Changmin nods, allowing Yunho to grasp his wrist gently and lead him down the hallway to their bedroom. Despite his protests that he is perfectly capable of doing so himself, Yunho strips him of his clothes, laying him down on the bed and tucking him under the covers. Yunho follows suit, getting rid of his own and sliding in behind Changmin, pulling him flush to his chest. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Yunho pipes up, “Hey, can I ask another question?” Changmin giggles, having a feeling that he’s going to be subjected to many such queries over the next few months. “Of course, baby, what is it?” Yunho snuggles close to his lover, putting his chin in the crook of his neck, inhaling the sweet scent.

“What will the babies be like? Are they going to look human, or….” He trails off, not sure how to put the rest into words. Changmin pauses a moment, as he’s not sure of the answer himself. “That’s another thing we won’t know until birth. They may be exactly like wolf pups, they may appear to be completely human, or there could be some of each. I’m not really certain of the science of it.” Yunho plants a kiss to his shoulder, making sure to take note of this new information. “Ok, then. So, lots of surprises, huh?” Changmin shrugs, “Well, it’s not exactly like I can waltz into an Ob-Gyn and find out for sure.” Yunho laughs lightly, the sound muffled as he slides his lips along Changmin’s neck, making the younger shiver. “I suppose that’s true. I just hope I can take care of you.” Changmin turns his head, craning backward to kiss the section of Yunho’s cheek that he can reach, before settling back into place. “We’ve got lots of help. It’ll be fine.”

“Changmin?”

“Yes, babe?”

“I love you. I will do anything and everything I can for you. I promise.”

Changmin sighs contentedly, feeling happier than perhaps he’s ever felt. “I love you, too. And thank you. Daddy.”

Yunho gasps, a shudder rolling over his spine at the word. “I can definitely get used to hearing that…” he murmurs happily, wrapping a possessive arm around Changmin’s waist, rubbing in circles around his stomach, inside which their children already beginning to grow and develop.

“ _Mine_ ……..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yunho awakens with weight bearing down upon him, hard and heavy. He blinks, eyes attempting to adjust to the darkness of the room. He has no idea what’s going on, as he’s still disoriented and groggy, but one word said into his ear in a pleading tone has his body roaring to life.

“ _Alpha…”_

Awareness comes to him, and Yunho realizes that Changmin is laying on top of him, mouthing at his neck, and somehow their respective boxers have managed to disappear. The moon is shining through a sliver of opening between the curtains draped across the window above the bed, giving just enough light for Yunho to see his lover. Changmin is breathing heavily, already soaked with a glistening sheen of sweat, trembling ever so slightly. Changmin’s knees are on either side of Yunho’s hips, and the younger rocks his pelvis forward roughly, allowing Yunho to feel the slide of the younger’s arousal against his own now-awakening erection.

“Alpha…. _please…”_

Yunho grasps Changmin’s hips, signaling him to slow down a bit and let the older get his bearings. “Baby? Are…..you in heat? Can that even happen while you’re pregnant?” Changmin huffs, annoyed with the other’s question. Right now, he’s all about less talking and more  _doing._ “No, I’m not and it can’t, I’m just reaaalllllyyy worked up, ok? Damn hormones…” he grumbles, and Yunho thinks a grouchy, horny Changmin is just about the cutest thing ever. “Well, if getting accosted in the middle of the night is what I get to look forward to, maybe I should get you pregnant more often…” Yunho teases, issuing a slow hip roll of his own.

Changmin can only whimper in response, too far gone to release the sarcastic comment that his brain is demanding him to. But Yunho gets the message loud and clear, knowing that his lover is not going to last much longer without immediate attention. “Shh…” he coos, pulling Changmin tightly against his chest and rolling them over, positioning himself on top. “I know what you need, baby, I’ve got you…” Yunho pulls back a bit and spreads his lover’s legs in haste, and has to bite back a groan at what he sees. Changmin’s cock lying hard and heavy against his stomach, his thighs slick, moisture oozing out of his fluttering hole. “Jesus….Minnie……” Yunho pushes a finger inside, all too easily, enjoying the slide and warmth around his digit. “God, I love it when you’re sopping wet for me baby, just like this. Gonna push right in and fuck you open, nice and easy. Would you like that?”

Changmin whines impatiently, hips bucking upward in an attempt to get Yunho to do something. “Yes…. Yunho….” The older just chuckles, ever amused with his lover’s tenacity. Changmin always knows what he wants, and isn’t afraid to be obvious about it. Situating himself between his lover’s legs, Yunho grasps himself, guiding his erection to his lover’s entrance, slipping it in slowly, slowly, allowing the muscles to gradually accommodate and grow accustomed to his girth. The smell hits Yunho, Changmin’s smell, and it’s so intoxicating he nearly becomes consumed by it. Yunho finally bottoms out, stopping for a moment to relish the feel of those taut inner walls squeezing him in a firm embrace. Changmin, whose legs are wrapped around Yunho’s back, digs in his feet, sending a jolt of pressure into the base of Yunho’s spine. “Hmm,” Yunho hums in understanding, “You need it, don’t you pretty baby…”

“ _Yes,”_ Changmin admits in a pleading tone, “I need it….please move….” Yunho leans down and runs his nose upward along Changmin’s long neck, inhaling, reveling in the natural musk of his lover. He nips just below Changmin’s ear, causing the younger to gasp as he pulls out ever so slightly, shoving back in all the way. Changmin feels the muscles in his thighs tense deliciously, pressure building in his gut as Yunho really starts to move, rocking in and out of him with precise motions. Yunho is not aiming for the kill quite yet, he’s more apt to the younger’s pleasure simmer a bit, then gradually build up to a rolling boil. Changmin is apparently not a big fan of this idea, as he’s currently digging his nails into Yunho’s back, pushing his hips up to meet every thrust, trying to speed up the process. Yunho perseveres, knowing that his lover will thank him in the end.

Changmin’s teeth dig into his shoulder, hands roaming all over the expanse of his broad back. “Just relax, baby….” Yunho promises, “I’ll make it so good for you….” He speaks directly into Changmin’s ear, and that commanding alpha tone shakes the younger to the core. It does things to him, things he can’t easily explain. He whimpers, and Yunho speeds up a bit, movements smooth and even, yet purposeful. He grabs Changmin’s ankles, placing them over his shoulders and nearly bending him in half, intensifying the angle of his thrusts. Yunho starts to pound in, and in, and in, and Changmin wails, the mattress shifting a bit with the sharpness of their movements. “Al… _pha….”_ Changmin moans, the last half of the word jumping into a shriek, and Yunho knows his lover has just about had enough. Yunho feels the moisture sliding between his thighs, and it makes him crazy, knowing that Changmin is that far gone.

“Mmm…..Come on baby….can you cum for your Alpha? Show me.” Changmin tenses, veins popping in his neck as he throws his head back dramatically, every fiber of his being insisting that he follow the command. There’s fire in his stomach, and it spreads rapidly, consuming him whole as he teeters on the edge of bliss, only to fall messily and completely. “Yu….Yun….Ho….” He pants, cock jerking and shooting his release between them. Yunho feels his own temperature rise, Changmin pulsing all around him, the look of ecstasy on his face, the smell, the hushed words whispered into his ear, “ _Yes, baby, oh yea. Fill me. Give me everything….”_ It’s all entirely too much. Changmin nibbles at his ear lobe, sucking it between his lips, moaning like he loves it, and Yunho’s done for. His movements stutter, hips finally slowing to a stop as he spills everything just like Changmin wanted.

“Damn,” Yunho exhales, still out of breath, uttering what seems to be the phrase of the day, “I can definitely get used to this…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minho paces the tree line, agitated. He is in full wolf form, his deep grey fur bristling in the soft wind. His senses are on full alert, listening, inhaling, waiting for any sign of his second-in-command, who is due to bring him news of the enemy at hand. He has a plan….one that will avenge the wrongs done to him, and secure his place as the new head of the pack. Not to mention most importantly, set his conscience at ease.

Shortly after midnight, Zhoumi finally returns, coming into Minho’s line of sight at an easy gait. When he arrives, he bows his head low, showing respect. “ _Alpha,”_ he speaks, the words echoing directly into Minho’s head, “ _I’ve found them. I was able to locate Yunho’s workplace, and from there trace back to his home address. I await your next order.”_

On the inside, Minho is smiling. This is the news he’d been waiting for. Ever since that night many weeks ago, the night that bastard Yunho murdered his father, his only thoughts have been of revenge. He’d been sending out scouts for some time now, trying to retrace the scent, to track them down, and finally they’ve found success. More importantly, they’ve found Yunho’s little bitch, who’s the key to all of this. Yunho took what Minho’s father desired most, and now in turn, Minho will do the same to him.

_“Very good, Zhoumi, very good. You’ve done well. Go tend to your family for the night, you’re dismissed. We will meet in the morning to discuss the plans.”_  Zhoumi nods, bowing again. “ _Thank you, Alpha.”_ He turns, scurrying off, quickly disappearing from sight.

For the first time in many days, Minho feels nearly at peace. His clan is a proud one, and he’s been raised in the ways of the wolf for the entirety of his life. Siwon, his father, was absolutely everything to him. He raised Minho with a firm hand, yet loved strongly, and was a good leader. Losing him has been the worst thing that could possibly happen, and on that day, Minho swore that he would have revenge. He’d always known that Changmin would cause them all trouble, after all, he’s known the weakling brat since he was born.

Changmin was the fairest omega of their clan, always desired, even when he was young. And it all went to his head, to be sure. Changmin was always one to easily win favor, to get anyone to do anything he wanted. Every single alpha in the group lusted after him, and they’d all been waiting for the day when he’d come of age. Siwon had all rights to him, he was their leader after all. But when the day finally arrived, Changmin had run. When the heat had taken him, he fled from his rightful partner, fled from the job that the pack had taken pains to place him in, claiming he picked up a scent of an alpha that suited his tastes better. Minho had been furious that day, and still is.  _Suites his tastes better?!_ Who could possibly be better than his father?

Certainly not this Yunho. Minho has never heard of him before. A werewolf without a reputation preceding him is no werewolf at all, that is the way of things. So to Minho, Yunho is nothing more than a joke. A joke that murdered his father like it was nothing. Like Siwon was nothing. The more Minho thinks about it, the more infuriated he gets. But, it will all be over very soon. And everything will be set right.

Come tomorrow, they’ll have Changmin back in their possession, and Minho intends to let all the Alphas have a go at him. And when Yunho comes running after, they’ll torture him and kill him.

One way or another, justice will be done….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yunho wakes up for the second time, groggy and still exhausted. He didn’t exactly get a ton of sleep, as after the first escapade, he and Changmin had to have three more rounds in order to fully sate the younger, as well as give Yunho the time he needed to be able to pull out without hurting his lover. Yunho’s not a big fan of trying to work on only a few hours’ sleep, but in his eyes, it’s totally worth it. He rolls over, looking at Changmin, who’s still fast asleep. Yunho has to admit, his lover looks stunningly beautiful, especially when he’s asleep. Long lashes fanning across his cheeks, hair splayed above his head, cheeks beautifully flushed a sweet pink, plump lips parted slightly while he breathes. Hating to spoil the moment, but knowing they have to get up now in order to be ready for work, Yunho leans down to plant a kiss to Changmin’s forehead. “Wake up, baby…” He says in a gravelly voice.

Changmin’s eyelids flutter, slowly lifting up, revealing those stunning eyes. They’re the eyes of an animal, on the face of an angel, and the combination is deadly. Changmin grunts and squirms, shying away from the light trickling through the window. “Come on, pretty thing…” Yunho coos, “We have to get up…” Changmin voices a childish “Uh-uh,” and Yunho breaks out the last resort, tickling. He digs his fingers into the younger’s sides, and they wrestle on the bed until they’re both out of breath and giggling. “Alright, alright fine...” Changmin concedes victory, and the two slowly make their way out of bed and to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Changmin has a small bout of morning sickness, but nothing terribly drastic. He has to practically kick Yunho out of the bathroom in order to get some privacy. It’s sweet that he wants to help, but they’re still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship for crying out loud, there’s no way in hell Changmin’s gonna let Yunho see him upchuck. They get to work without incident, and go their separate ways with a kiss good luck. Yunho heads to his office, and Changmin goes to his department on another floor. Yunho has a feeling that he’s going to spend the majority of the day worrying about Changmin. He just hopes he can concentrate enough to get his projects taken care of…

The rest of the day goes by without incident, in a blur of presentations and preparations. Finally, 5 o’clock rolls around, and Yunho is anxious to get to his lover and head home. He hasn’t heard much from Changmin today, and it worries him. He knows it’s childish, but now that he knows that Changmin is pregnant, it’s just changed everything. Though part of him is still wrapping his brain around just how in the hell that’s possible, most of him is just scared to death. He wants to protect Changmin, keep him safe, take care of him. It’s an urge he’s finding extremely difficult to deny. Just as he’s about to head out the door, the cell phone in his pocket vibrates. Yunho pulls it out, seeing a message alert from Changmin.

* **Hey baby, I’m dropping something off really quick then I’ll meet you by the car, ok?***

 

Yunho texts back a quick “ok,” then exits the office, making his way to the elevators and down to the parking garage to wait for Changmin.

Changmin heads out to the garage about ten minutes later, making his way up the stairwell to the 3rd floor where their car is parked. He makes it about halfway up the 1st flight of stairs before he hears a door open behind him, and sees the one on the landing above him open as well. Within seconds, he’s surrounded on all sides. A man that is all too familiar to him steps in front of Changmin, pulling something large and black over his head. And suddenly, everything goes dark……..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Changmin comes back to consciousness, he’s in the center of a clearing, wolves circling him on all sides. They’re the wolves of his now former pack, he knows all too well, and he can tell from the ferocity of the chorus of growls that they are none too pleased with him. He shifts instinctually, getting into his own wolf form and surveying the area, letting his senses guide him should he need to react quickly. Minho, the man that brought him here, appears suddenly, waltzing right up to Changmin with a murderous look in his deep, canine eyes. “ _Nice to have you back, Changmin. Are you having a good time playing house with that nobody?”_

_“Minho,”_ Changmin begins, trying to keep himself calm, “ _Why did you bring me here? My Alpha will kill you, are you really that stupid? What do you want with me?”_ Minho barks, loudly, an angry sound. “ _He can’t kill all of us. And I brought you here to teach you a lesson.”_ Out of seemingly nowhere, two of Minho’s cronies are flanking him, and they’re all inching their way towards Changmin, predatory looks all around. “ _It seems you’ll just whore yourself to anyone, so you’ll be satisfying our Alphas today. And then we’ll kill you. And when your trash arrives to save you, we’ll dispose of him as well. You’ll rue the day Siwon died….”_

Changmin goes into panic mode as several other wolves join the procession, and he realizes that he is in fact highly out-numbered. He hopes will all his heart that Yunho will realize something is wrong and come after him, but he has to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. He howls, hoping to call attention to himself should Yunho in fact be somewhere nearby. The wolves are closing in, growling low, and Changmin knows he may have to resort to something drastic. He needs to at least provide a distraction of some kind….

_“Minho, you can’t kill me.”_ He insists, and the addressed wolf pauses for a moment.  _“And just why is that?”_ Minho asks, impatient. This is the ace in Changmin’s back pocket, and it will also help him to know just exactly how far Minho is willing to go for his vengeance. Were-children, even those still in the womb, are precious to their kind, and treated as practically sacred. To kill one is a horrible grievance, and one not quickly forgiven. “ _I’m pregnant. Smell me, you’ll know I’m not lying. You would kill innocents, just to satisfy your own selfish desires?”_

Minho’s head quirks to the side, and he pads up to Changmin, leaning in and inhaling deeply. He stops dead in his tracks, and he throws his head back, letting out a howl of frustration and agony. Changmin inwardly smirks, knowing he has Minho right where he wants him. What he doesn’t know, is that Minho is one at the end of his rope, not giving a damn about the consequences.  _“You SLUT!”_ The scream echoes in Changmin’s head, ringing in his ears. Minho leans back on his haunches, ready to attack.

An answering howl slices through the air, one Changmin knows better than any other, just as Minho launches himself forward….

 


	3. Secrets and Histories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho grips his hand even more tightly, nodding. "You're damn right, we will be. I won't let you die, Changmin. I refuse."

Minho finds himself between a rock and a hard place, quite literally. One second he was mere feet away from having Changmin in his clutches, the next, there's a large, black mass blocking his path. The mass has eyes, yellowish with thin pupils, and as Minho's vision becomes less hazed and he takes in the full view of the newcomer, it takes less than a second to figure out who it is. Yunho's teeth are bared, and he growls menacingly, vocal chords rumbling and fluttering strongly, warning Minho that he's not playing around. Minho's fury only increases as he sees close up the man Changmin rejected Siwon for, and he is quick to rush forward once again. Yunho snaps at his sudden movement, daring him to come closer.

"Back off right now, or I'll kill you where you stand..." Yunho theatens, canine eyes flashing wildly. Minho shakes his head, shaggy grey hair waving back and forth from the exaggerated motion. "I dare you. You're nothing. My pack will tear you apart in an instant." Minho retorts, confident in his pack and his own abilities. Their clan has lasted throughout the centuries, and this pathetic excuse for an alpha in front of him will not stand against their pure blood and tactical expertise. "You will pay dearly for killing my father, and for taking what's rightfully ours." Yunho, on the other hand, is not intimidated in the least. "Your pack ran like cowards when I fought your alpha last time. I don't fear them. I fear no one. You've threatened what's mine, and I won't stand for it." Yunho lunges forward this time, jaws open wide, sharp teeth glistening in the pale moonlight as he makes a move for Minho's jugular. Before he can get too far, however, he feels the distinct weight of another body bearing down onto his own, knocking him out of the way.

A voice screams "RUN!!" into his mind, in a voice so panicked and insistent that he feels compelled to listen. Every fiber of Yunho's being wants to fight, to kill. To establish his dominance as Alpha and make Minho pay for daring to threaten what's his. But Changmin is pleading with him, and he can't ignore his partner's cries. He lets out a howl as Changmin rolls off of him, one of frustration and anger, and of warning to the pack surrounding him. Yunho's eyes focus, and he sees Changmin in his peripheral setting off at a dead run, away from the clan's camp, in the direction back toward the city. Yunho has no choice now. He has to follow. Has to make sure his lover and offspring are protected. Yunho curses, growling menancingly and taking off like a bullet, paws thudding against the ground in a percussive rhythm as he catches up. Minho's flanks close in, trying to block his path, and he barrels right through them, tossing the wolves aside like they were dust rags. Instinct takes over, and he follows Changmin, and they run. They run, run, and run until Yunho no longer knows where they are. 

Changmin gathers his bearings, choosing what he feels is a good place to slow down. He grew up in these woods, and knows them better than anyone. He knows that they're just about to break into more urban territory, where the other wolves are unlikely to follow just yet, at least not in their current forms. There are certain rules that they kind have to obey so as not to reveals themselves to outsiders, and Changmin knows even Minho would not breach them. Or at least, he dearly hopes so. He slows to a stop, gradually morphing back into human form, turning back to find Yunho. Turns out he doesn't have to, as the moment he flips around, Yunho is upon him, matching his own appearance, looking downright furious, just as Changmin expected. "How dare you." Yunho spits, grasping onto Changmin's shoulder's harshly, every bit the Alpha in this moment. "Never interfere like that again. I had every right to rip out his throat. What the fuck were you thinking? How dare you..." 

Changmin shivers, Yunho's tone demanding that he come to heel, that he submit. It's more than psychological, it's instinct. Every cell in his body screams at him to do so, but he fights it for all he's worth. He has to make Yunho understand, even if he can only manage to for a few minutes. No omega can resist an alpha's commanding tone for long. "Yunho," he manages, insistent, "Think for a moment. We were grossly outnumbered. The pack may be cowardly, but they are strong. They would have killed you, or me, or both. What would our children do without a father? What good would you be alone?" Yunho makes to interrupt, but Changmin puts a finger to his lips, pleading for silence so that he may continue. "THINK, Yunho. I didn't run because I'm afraid, or because I don't think you're strong enough, I ran because we need help. We need the others to take the clan down. We need a strategy. And my first priority is to protect our children." 

Yunho bristles, nowhere near appeased. "I could have taken them all, Changmin. They're pathetic. It's my right, goddammit. I deserve to have their blood on my hands. Every last one of them!" Changmin takes deep breaths, knowing that this is alpha bloodlust speaking, not his beloved partner. It's not wise to interrupt a wolf mid-kill, especially an alpha. Changmin knows it will take some time for the adrenaline to run out, for Yunho's desire for murder and mayhem to abate. He needs something to distract him with, get it all out of his system so that Yunho will once again be his normal self and see Changmin's reasoning. Seeing the anger continue to flash in Yunho's eyes, and considering the circumstances, there's really only one thing Changmin can do to help.

He hits his knees, finally allowing his body to do what it wants. What it needs. He looks up at Yunho, hands on the tops of his thighs, legs spread slightly. Changmin's eyes speak volumes, more than any words or movements could. There's a challenge in that look, a request, and a plea all at once. Electricity sparks in the air connecting their gazes, unspoken words exchanged. Changmin breaks the connection, bowing his head and sliding his hands down from his thighs onto the ground beneath them, keeping his eyes on the ground. Barely audible, but he knows it will be heard nonetheless, Changmin says the only thing he needs to.

"Alpha."

It doesn't matter who's right or wrong in this moment, or how much Changmin wants to sway Yunho to see the truth. Changmin's stubbornness doesn't matter, his strong will doesn't matter. He knows it's useless right now anyway, so he forsakes it all for Yunho. He hears the movement above him, the soft pad of feet moving around behind him, feels greedy fingers dig into his hips and manuever him, pushing him forward and up onto his knees with desperate swiftness. There is no finesse, no gentleness to their union, not like it usually is, but Changmin doesn't expect that anyway. He knows what Yunho needs, and offers it freely. Changmin's ready, his body producing what it needs to to make the breach easier, and Yunho wastes no time, slipping inside him and taking what he wants and requires. Yunho slams into him, reckless and possessive, thrusts quick, deep, and in rapid succession. Changmin digs his fingers into the ground below, dirt accumulating under his fingernails as he does everything he can to stay upright, while Yunho does everything he can to make that as difficult as possible. 

There's no strategy to Yunho's movements, there is nothing but the basic, primal need to release. Changmin doesn't even know if he'll reach his own bliss, but right now, his pleasure is inconsequential. This is about Yunho. His alpha. His love. His everything. Yunho has been completely quiet for some time now, and it's so different, so unlike the man Changmin knows. By the time the older finally breaks his silence, Changmin is a panting, moaning wreck, hair matted against his forehead, arms trembling from exertion. He feels slick everywhere; moisture trickling down his thighs, a thick sheen of sweat coating his face, arms, and torso. Changmin has no idea how much time has passed, and he's just about at the end of his rope, silently praying that Yunho will finish soon because he doesn't know how much more he can take. But then Yunho speaks, and it all changes. "Fuck, you feel so good, baby. You love just bending over and taking me like this, don't you..." Changmin groans, partly glad that Yunho is starting to act normal again, partly melting on the inside from Yunho's voice alone. "God...yes....talk to me, alpha, talk to me..."

Yunho strokes slow and lengthen, becoming more purposeful. "Tell me you'd do anything for me." He commands, insistent. "Tell me you're my good little slut and you'd do anything I told you to." Changmin whines, arms finally giving out, allowing his front to be lowered to the forest floor. His brains are currently mush, and he gladly does as he's told. "Alpha...anything....anything you want, alpha...." The tension in Changmin's body leaves in a rush, heartrate slowing as his orgasm washes over him in a slow, steady roll. It's not sudden, it's not forceful, but rather small and building, consuming him bit by bit until his entire body feels awash with sensation, tingling and warm. He paints the ground below him with spurts of his seed, feeling Yunho tense behind him and follow suit, filling him up. Yunho pulls him upward, strong arms wrapping around his waist and pulling Changmin onto his lap, still inside him. Yunho trails soft kisses along Changmin's nape, and the younger instantly knows his lover is back to normal, at least for the most part. "I'm sorry, baby..." he pants, squeezing Changmin tightly, "Thank you. I love you."

Changmin nuzzles in return, arm slung back around Yunho's neck, content. "It's ok. Not your fault." Their lips meet, gentle but firm and explorative. "You were right, Changminnie. I’m so sorry, baby. Was I too rough? Did I hurt you?” Changmin giggles a little, glad to see his lover back to his normal, overly worried self. “I’m fine. I swear. Just calm down. We really do need to get out of here, though. The patrols don’t usually wander this close to the city, but I wouldn’t count on that too much in our case.” Yunho nods, trying to relax himself. “Just give me a few minutes, ok?”

Once Yunho is able remove himself, he and Changmin slink back down into their feral states, knowing full well they can’t exactly waltz into downtown Seoul naked. One of the many unfortunate side effects of morphing is that if you happen to be in clothes when you turn wolf, they’re going to get torn to shreds. Neither Changmin nor Yunho had time or ability to deal with such trivialities as bringing extra clothes with them. They make their way through back alleys and sneak into the apartments through a back employee entrance, Yunho using brute force to knock in the door. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone around to panic, and they take the stairs up the many flights to their floor. Yunho had at least had enough forethought to leave a spare key under the shoe mat in front of their door.

Admittedly, it was pretty funny watching Changmin unlock the door naked, in such a hurry to get them both in before anyone saw. Once inside, they both breathe a huge sigh of relief, fetching some casual clothes to throw on and taking a seat on the couch together, ready to discuss their next move. “So,” Changmin begins, not wanting to waste any more time, “We’re going to need to figure something out fairly quickly. If they didn’t know where we lived before, it’s almost a guarantee they do now, or will soon. Our scent is traceable. So we need somewhere else to crash.” Yunho nods somberly, agreeing, “Ok, I’ll call Jaejoong and see if he can house us for awhile.” “Good idea,” Changmin adds, “we need their help anyway. It’ll take more than two of us to bring Minho down.”

“You mean one of us,” Yunho interjects. “I’m not having you fighting anyone right now. Not while you’re pregnant. I’d rather die.” Changmin meets his lover’s gaze, seeing the ferocity in it, and knows the words to be true. Honestly, he’s not really in any shape to be of much assistance anyway, and it’s only going to get worse in that regard. “I’m sorry, Yunho. I’m sorry for everything. All of this is my fault. Maybe I should have stayed with them and just mated with Siwon. Instead, I’ve caused all this. We may never be able to live in peace.” Yunho grasps Changmin’s chin, fingers gently stroking the underside of his jaw. “Don’t talk like that. It’s not your fault for wanting something different. For doing what you want, not what you would have been forced to. I’m honored you chose me.” Changmin blushes bright crimson, ducking his head slightly, “I don’t think I had any choice, really. Once your scent came to me, I knew I had to be yours. So, I feel it was rather you that chose me, even if you weren’t conscious of it.”

Yunho leans in to kiss his lover, slow and soft, just savoring the taste of Changmin’s lips. “I love you.” Yunho pledges when their lips part, “What’s happened has happened, the only thing we can do is face it. I will protect you, Changmin, and that’s a promise.” Changmin nods, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Might I ask a question, though?” Yunho prods, and Changmin smiles in response. “Of course. What’s up?” Yunho pauses, unsure how to proceed. "So, how do werewolf matings work? Jaejoong mentioned something about them being for life. So.... did Siwon have another mate at some point? Minho said Siwon was his father...how does that make sense? Why did Siwon want you so badly?" Changmin exhales, not sure if Yunho is ready to hear this bit of truth. But, if they're going to make this work and, more importantly, survive, it's something the older will need to be made aware of. Taking a deep breath and praying Yunho doesn't freak out too much, he spills the facts. "Siwon's first mate was my older brother." 

Yunho blinks, staying silent for several moments. "Wait.....what? I didn't even know you had a brother. Hang on a minute....what happened? This....this makes no sense...." Changmin takes Yunho's hand and squeezes it, trying to reassure him. "Just breathe, and let me explain. There were actually supposed to be more of us, but my mother was killed when she was nearly to full term of her pregnancy. Our pack was at war with another nearby one at the time, and they came in the night and slaughtered many of us. Due to some quick doctoring, they were able to save Donghae and myself, but the others didn't make it. Our father was killed during the raid as well. There weren't a whole lot of us left at that time, and Siwon was chosen to lead the pack. He rebuilt us from the ground up, and we eventually took our revenge." Changmin pauses, but Yunho knows there's still more to the story. "I'm so sorry, baby. That sounds horrible. Who raised you?" Changmin gives Yunho a small smile, assuring him that it's ok, and continues to explain. "The pack banded together. I wasn't raised by one person, I was raised by all of them. As was Donghae."

Changmin takes a deep breath, ready to get to the part that gets a bit more interesting. "So, when my brother came of age, he and Siwon mated. There were always a lot of eyes on me, Siwon's included. Honestly, I thought he would go after me, but I guess it doesn't work that way. Many other alphas were watchful of me, and I could tell that the day I came of age, I would be a prime target for alphas on the prowl. But anyway," Changmin clears his throat, giving Yunho's hand another squeeze, continuing, "About a year into Siwon's and my brother's relationship, Donghae got pregnant. Everyone was ecstatic. Things went well until the day the pups were to be born. Something went wrong and.....and...." Changmin hesitates, knowing that Yunho won't take this particular bit of information well, "Donghae didn't make it." Changmin checks Yunho's expression, which seems clouded, but he doesn't speak, so Changmin takes that as a green light to continue his tale. "Siwon was devastated. And angry. And soon after, he fixed his gaze on me. He became obsessed with me, and wanted me for himself."

"I guess since he couldn't have my brother anymore, I became the next best thing. When the first heat came upon me, that's the day you found me. I ran from Siwon. I ran to you. The rest is history." Changmin stops, letting Yunho digest all of this new information. Yunho doesn't say a word for several moments, appearing as if he's trying to piece all of this together. Finally, he speaks up, asking, "So, we don't mate for life then?" Changmin cocks his head to the side, explaining, "Well usually, yes, we do. But the head alpha of a pack must always have a mate. It's their job to keep the pack strong and keep making more pups, so if a mate is lost, a suitable replacement must be found fairly quickly. That's likely another reason that Minho hates me." Yunho nods, then his face turns even more puzzled, "Wait...wait a second....how is Minho Siwon's son, then? If Donghae died during childbirth, how...? Isn't Minho older than you?" Changmin mentally facepalms, frowing, "Oh god, I'm sorry, I forgot to explain that part. Minho is.....well....a bastard, you could say." 

"A...a bastard?" Yunho questions, even more confused. "Well, actually..." Changmin furthers, "maybe that's not the right word. I'm not sure how best to explain it. Minho is not Siwon's biological son." Yunho blinks, and Changmin can tell he's waiting for more explanation, and so he offers it. "Minho is one of the reasons some of our kind survived the night of the raid that killed my parents. He was from the other pack, really young then. He came to warn us just ahead of time, so a few were able to escape prior to the attack, thus preserving our clan. Minho betrayed his own pack to save ours, claiming he had nothing left there and begged Siwon for mercy. Siwon was so grateful to him for his deeds, that he took him in as his own son. No one was to question this, and no one dared to." Yunho nods, understanding. "That would explain why Minho is so protective of Siwon's legacy." Changmin nods, agreeing. Yunho continues to digest, mentally re-running through everything that was just explained to him, and it hits him. Like Changmin feared it would. "Wait...you said Donghae died during childbirth....what happened?"

Changmin sighs. He hadn't wanted to tell Yunho all of this, because he knew the reaction would be highly negative. Especially considering their current situation. "Donghae didn't get himself healed back up in time. He was too weak after the long labor. He lost too much blood, and...he died." Yunho pales, all of the blood draining from his features in a rush. Yunho gulps, gripping onto to Changmin's wrist a little too tightly. "Baby....how are werepups born from male weres, exactly?" Changmin tenses, hands a bit shaky as he answers, "I should think that would be fairly obvious. Think of it as a very, very primitive version of a C-section." Yunho looks like he's going to pass out. "Oh....oh my god.....Changmin......what if you....oh my god, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" Changmin tries to steady his breathing, failing miserably. "Because I knew you'd react like this. I didn't want to worry you. Or upset you." Yunho grinds his teeth, "But you said thousands of pups are born every day to male weres-" "And they are." Changmin cuts him off, speaking firmly. "It's risky, but it's equally risky with females. We'll be ok, Yunho. I promise."

Yunho grips his hand even more tightly, nodding. "You're damn right, we will be. I won't let you die, Changmin. I refuse."

The next moment, Changmin stiffens, sniffing the air slightly. "Shit. We have to get out of here, Yunho. They're coming." Yunho bolts out of the sofa, grabbing a few essentials and coming back to the living area and taking Changmin's hand. He opens the apartment door and peeks his head out, and, not seeing anyone in the immediate area, shuts and locks the door behind them and bolts toward the stairs, Changmin in tow. They manage to escape the apartment building unnoticed, and hop into the safety of Yunho's car, headed God knows where. Yunho speeds out of the complex and heads in a direction, turning to Changmin and ordering, "Call Jaejoong. Tell him we're coming to see him."

Changmin does as he's told, and they arrive at Jaejoong's safe and sound, ready to plan out just what the hell they plan to do to survive this madness.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Minho and several of his men arrive in Yunho and Changmin's apartment, mere minutes after the two had fled. Minho surveys the scene, anger building to an all-time high. They're in human form, so as not to frightfully alarm any neighbors. Not that it matters, they made enough noise banging the door down that they know it's going to be a police affair in a matter of moments anyway. Their pack hates to be in this form, but know it's neccessary in order to conduct certain business matters. Minho feels much more comfortable in what he feels is his natural form, that of the wolf. Yet another reason for Minho to loathe Changmin, as he had had a penchant for the human world, and wanted to learn as much as he could. For Minho and Siwon, such things were unnecessary. Be that as it may, Minho clears his mind of these thoughts, focusing on the task at hand, which is figuring out just where the hell Yunho and Changmin ran off to. "Track their scent." He orders to Zhoumi and the others. "Find them, or so help me you'll regret it. All of you." 

His henchmen take up the trail immediately, leading them back downstairs and to the parking area. There, it abruptly stops, leaving Minho to believe they must have taken a vehicle somewhere. Minho wracks his brain, thinking where they might have gone. He remembers they had comrades with them the night of Siwon's murder, and reckons that as the first viable place to start. "Find out where their friends live. That's the only place they could go. Find them, and report back to me. I'm headed back to the woods to watch over the others. Don't make me wait to long." His subordinates vow to do so, and set to work. Minho finds a secluded spot, shifting, and taking off toward the city limits and beyond.

"Don't think you'll get away so easily. I won't rest until I see the both of you dead by my own hands...."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jaejoong sits on a stool in his kitchen, looking at his two friends as if they've just set a bomb off in his apartment.   
"So, let me get this straight." He begins, beer in one hand, gesturing with his free one. "You're pregnant." He states, pointing at Changmin. "And you belong to the pack of that dude we killed a few months back. And his adopted son is pissed at you and wants you both dead. Am I getting all this straight?"

Changmin nods, "I think you covered all of the main points, yes." 

Jaejoong shakes his head, taking a sip of his beer with brows raised high. "And I suppose you expect us to help you both not get killed, am I right?" 

Yunho sighs, running a hand agitatedly through his hair. "We had rather hoped you'd assist us in our endeavor to stay alive, yes." Jaejoong nods, swallowing. "Well, I've gotten you this far, I can't exactly drop you and 'leave you to the wolves,' as the saying goes. And a rather apt one for our situation, I might add." Yunho fails to suppress a chuckle, admitting, "It certainly is. But seriously, we need a plan." 

"No shit," Yoochun pipes up from his spot on the couch, in the living area directly adjacent to the kitchen. "Four against, like, twenty-ish. I don't really like those odds." Junsu, who's perched next to him, nods in fervent agreement. "Agreed. Anyone have any brilliant ideas?"

Jaejoong chuckles, shoulders shaking gently from the effort. "Yea, Junsu, why don't you go distract this Minho character with your striking good looks. The rest of us will sneak in all ninja-style and slit all their throats." Yoochun chortles, and Junsu guffaws heartily in response. Yunho and Changmin issue a collective eye roll, nearly at the exact same time. "You guys are hopeless, you know that?" Changmin chides, which only results in more raucous laughter. 

"Hey now," Jaejoong butts in, "Yunho wouldn't know jack shit if it weren't for me. You should have seen him the day I found him. Wandering around like a lost pup or something."   
He turns to Yunho, pointing, "You may be higher rank, but you owe me your life and you know it." He concludes, looking at Yunho directly. Yunho smiles, "Yea, yea. And I'm sure you'll never let me forget that fact for as long as you live." Jaejoong nods, "Damn straight I won't. Now," He clears his throat, finishing his beer with a last swig, then goes on, "Yunho is correct. We do need a plan. And probably in short order. No doubt Minho is looking for them right now, and it won't take them long to trace back to us. They'll find us, and we need to be prepared." 

The five of them discuss tactics well into the night, and by the time they're all exhausted and ready to crash, they've managed to bang out at least a semi-decent game plan. It's not utter brilliance, by any means, but it's all they've got for the time being. Yoochun generously offers up his room to Yunho and Changmin, stating he can crash with Junsu for the time being. While the others head to sleep, Jaejoong takes Yunho aside for a moment, saying he needs to discuss something with him. Yunho assures Changmin that he'll be back to bed directly, and allows Jaejoong to take him out to the balcony for a talk. 

"What's up?" Yunho queries the moment they're outside, wondering what's so urgent that he had to be spoken to privately. The last thing Yunho wants to do right now is leave Changmin alone, for any length of time, not matter how short. Jaejoong licks his lips, appearing to be slightly anxious. "Alright, I'll cut to the quick. I've been doing a bit of research over the past month or so. You remember how you told me what happened in Russia? That you drank that shit and then after that was when you started showing signs of the turn?" Yunho nods, remembering all too well. "Yea, of course. What's your point?"

"Well," Jaejoong continues, "I didn't really mention anything at the time, because I wanted to find out some things on my own before I discussed it with you. But, that's extremely odd. I've never heard of a werewolf made that way. Most either are born human and start the changes naturally sometime in their teenage years, or vice versa. Someone handing you a drink in your mid twenties and suddenly, BAM, you're a werewolf? It just makes no sense." Yunho's eyebrows quirk, trying to make sense of what his friend is getting at. "Ok, so I'm a rarity. I take it there's something else?" Jaejoong chuckles, "Well yea, there's where the research comes in. I studied some Russian mythology for awhile, and it spoke of that. Where someone is given a special alcoholic brew, and it jumpstarts the changes. I don't know the exact science of it, but the important thing is this: you were chosen. And it wasn't by chance, it was for a specific purpose, and for a specific reason."

Yunho blinks rapidly, trying to put two and two together, and coming up with squat. "What reason? And how do you know that in the first place?" Jaejoong swallows, "According to my research, this is the method used to bring out the dormant gene in the royal were blood line." Yunho just blinks some more, having no idea what Jaejoong is talking about. Jaejoong sighs, trying to explain, "Ok, so, let's have a short science lesson. There are certain people born with werewolf genes, others that are not. There's also the line descended from the first werewolves, in which the gene is in all of them, but may or may not manifest itself. Sometimes it lies dormant, skips a generation, and so on. That drink they gave you? Had a catalyst in it to bring out the affects of those dormant genes. They would only use this on those in the royal bloodline."

For the second time in a day, Yunho's blood seems to drain not only out of his face, but out of his entire body, along with his skeletal structure. He feels like jello, ready to sink into the floor at the slightest provocation. "You're....you're saying I'm a descendant of the first ever werewolves, and I'm some kind of royalty?" 

"Possibly. Yea."

Yunho says nothing for several moments, trying to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor.

"You got anymore beer in the fridge? I could use a drink. Or two. Or twenty five."


	4. The Trap Is Set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoochun nods, "Let's just let him work and lay low for today. When Yunho and Changmin get back, we'll have a solid plan for them to consider. And we'll take it from there."
> 
> Jaejoong exhales, eyes widening, slapping his hands down onto the tops of his knees and keeping them there. "I just hope my head is still attached to my shoulders once I tell all this to Yunho....."

Yunho heads back into the apartment, head spinning with new information. He and Jaejoong had talked a little bit longer, and discussed the possibility of a trip back to Russia at some point to seek out the truth of things. But obviously, for the time being, all of that has to wait. And right now, all Yunho really wants to do is hold his pregnant lover close and fall into a comfortable sleep, forgetting all of this madness if only for a short while.

He heads back to Yoochun’s room where Changmin is waiting, lying back on the bed, looking at him anxiously. He props himself on his elbows upon Yunho’s arrival, looking for answers, “Is everything ok? What did Jaejoong want?” Yunho sighs, running a hand through his hair lazily as he walks over to the bed to plop down beside the younger. “Don’t worry babe, it was nothing serious. He just wanted to give me some advice on how to fight other wolves and such. You know how he is.” Changmin nods, smiling gently. Yunho absolutely hates the fact that he’s lying to his lover, but in his mind, in this particular moment in time, it’s the best thing to do. They have enough on their plate right now, and the last thing he wants to do is cause Changmin or their unborn children any undue stress. Some things can wait.

Changmin gives Yunho a look, like he knows there’s something more to it, but fortunately he lets it go. “Alright, well, let’s get to bed.” Changmin sits up, lifting his shirt up and over his head, tossing it off the side of the bed. Yunho stops him in the midst of ubuttoning his pants, a hand on his wrist acting as a silent signal. Changmin looks up, and meets eyes filled with adoration and love. Yunho leans in and kisses him, slow and sweet. So many emotions are poured into the kiss, so many words left unsaid, and it renders Changmin awed. When they break apart, Yunho touches his forehead to his lover’s, gazing into his eyes intently. “I can’t wait til you start showing. You’ll look so beautiful. It’s a shame we’ll have to hide you away.”

Changmin blushes, giggling, leaning back a bit to allow for a bit of proper breathing space. “I’m afraid you’ll be the only one who’ll think I’m beautiful. The average person would find it terrifying.” Yunho chuckles, reaching a hand up to gently caress the side of Changmin’s face, thumb swiping tenderly across his cheek. “Well, I’m the only one whose opinion actually matters, right?” Changmin nods, smiling. “Yea. Suppose that’s true.” Yunho stares at him for a silent moment, then backs away, gesturing for Changmin to continue to disrobe. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. But only so you can get naked.” Changmin shakes his head, rolling his eyes subtly. “Don’t go getting any ideas. Sleep. We need some of it.”

Yunho concedes defeat, focusing on taking off his own clothes and tossing them to the floor along with Changmin’s. Changmin climbs into bed, rolling up onto his side. Yunho slides in right behind him, wrapping an arm around the younger's waist and pulling him close. Changmin hums in contentment, and Yunho plants a soft kiss on his nape. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Changmin rustles, speaking in a low voice. "Yunho?" Yunho squeezes the younger in his hold, answering, "Yea, babe?" Changmin sighs, worry evident in his voice, "Are we going to be ok? I mean really." 

Yunho buries his face into his lover's neck, trailing kisses sweetly over the soft flesh. "We are, baby. I'll make sure of it. I'd die to keep you safe, you know that right?" Changmin's breath hitches, heart clenching in his chest. He knows that's the alpha's job, to keep his mate and offspring safe at all costs. So it's not really surprising that Yunho would say something like that. However, actually hearing the words still hits him hard, especially considering the reverent tone in which Yunho said them. "I--I know." He admits, breathless, hoping against all hope that it never comes to that. He turns his head back toward Yunho, seeking his lips. The older captures them gently, a soft kiss easing his worries, if only for the moment. They part, and Changmin settles back down, cocooned in his lover's arms. 

"I love you, Yunho."

A soft sigh meets his ears, and a tired voice responds in kind. 

"Love you too, baby."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yunho wakes up with a grumble, eyes blinking open as he turns his head to search for the alarm clock to check what time it is. The '7 o'clock' is glaring at him in bright red letters on Yoochun's nightstand. He groans, shifting a bit as he settles back down. They've got about an hour until they have to get ready and head into work, so Yunho plans to utilize that time to the fullest. However, sleep seems to elude him, as far too many thoughts are permeating his brain, rolling and tumbling around inside beyond his control. The mystery of why he was created and the possible explanation, the prospect of their plan going into effect, worries over Changmin's condition, and just general anxiety seem to cave in on him, and he can't seem to shut off his brain. Changmin shifts in his arms, humming in his sleep. It's still a bit dark, but Yunho can easily make out the younger's features, and as usual, it renders him in awe. He leans down and plants a kiss on his lover's jaw, admiring the softness of the skin against his lips.

Changmin stirs, back bowing as he stretches a bit, letting out a loud yawn and opening his eyes. "Baby?" He mutters. "Everything ok?" Yunho chuckles, enamored with his lover's sleep-tinged voice. "Yea. Everything's fine, I just can't sleep. I didn't mean to wake you." 

Changmin lets out a husky laugh, promising, "It's ok. I probably unconciously sensed that you were over-thinking." Yunho hums, "Ah, it's scary how well you know me already." Changmin laughs again, the sound precious to Yunho's ears. "I'm sorry, I just.....have a lot on my mind." Yunho admits quietly. Changmin scoffs, "That's an understatement." Yunho laughs against his lover's neck, hot breath hitting the skin and making Changmin shiver imperceptibly. "Want me to distract you?" Changmin offers, and Yunho chuckles, knowing precisely what the younger means. "As much as I'd love to say yes, we probably ought to slow down. We've been going at it like rabbits. Besides, you know damn well you can't stay quiet and Jaejoong will murder us in cold blood." 

Changmin turns to face Yunho, smacking him on the shoulder. "Not if I kill you first, ass." Yunho ducks a blow to the head, giggling. "What? It's true! You're enthusiastic, I'm not complaining!" Changmin laughs in return, shoving at his lover's chest. "Yea, right. You're just trying to be subtle about your ego. And failing, I might add." Yunho smirks, tongue darting out to wet his lower lip. "Maybe." Changmin rolls his eyes, turning back over and crossing his arms over his chest, pouting. "Aww," Yunho coos, "don't be like that. Besides, it's just as much your fault. You're perfect and I can't keep my hands off of you." Changmin doesn't move an inch, though the corners of his lips are twitching upwards, trying to not form into a full smile. "And," Yunho continues, "I happen to very much enjoy the sounds you make. And I take it as a personal challenge to see how many times I can make you scream my name." 

Changmin busts out laughing, no longer able to contain himself. "God, you are so full of yourself." Yunho chuckles, tickling Changmin's hip. "Nah, you know I'm playing. But seriously, we should probably tone it down a bit. At least while we're here." 

Changmin sighs heavily, nodding. "Yea, you're right." The last thing they want to do is take advantage of their friends' hospitality. And Changmin doesn't doubt for an instant that Jaejoong would happily kick both of their asses. 

"I promise," Yunho begins, and Changmin pays strict attention, "once Minho and Zhoumi are out of the picture and we can go about our normal, happy life....I will be more than happy to devote several hours to fucking the hell out of you in every possible way I can think of. Sound good?"

Changmin giggles, "Alright, I'm gonna hold you to that..."

"God, I certainly hope so." Yunho admits, laughing.

The two banter back and forth, relaxing before 8 o'clock rolls around and it's time to go to work. It's the last thing they want to do, and is extraodinarily dangerous considering that Minho knows where they work, but keeping up appearances is important, at least for right now. Besides, Yunho has no intention of letting Changmin out of his sight, and the other three need time to plan. And no werewolf, no matter what the reason, would ever cause a public disturbance, as it would ruin things for their kind as a whole. That in mind, an office full of people is really the best place they can be, as long as they stay together when they leave.

Yunho and Changmin head downtown, praying that the others can make the neccessary preparations while they're gone...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun sit in the kitchen, post-breakfast, continuing to scheme and solidify their plans. The three of them had called out of work, citing a family emergency, and fortunately they were not further questioned. Besides, this _is_  an emergency, and their lives are slightly more important than their shitty office jobs. "Alright," Jaejoong begins, "time is limited. If Minho and his minions are half as smart as we think they are, it's only a matter of time before they track Changmin and Yunho here." Junsu and Yoochun nod in agreement, allowing the eldest to continue. "As we discussed last night, the best way to take down any pack is to 'cut off the head,' so to speak. If we can get Minho out of the way, and this Zhoumi character as well, the rest of the idiots should be too scared to take us on." 

Yoochun cuts in, skeptically. "That seems a high risk to take. What if it has the opposite effect? What if it just pisses them off more, and they all attack us at once? Even if they're idiots, a large amount of majorly pissed off idiots would be enough to take us down easily." Jaejoong nods, biting his lip. "How very right you are, my friend. Which is exactly why we need to have back up." Junsu pipes up, beginning to understand, "That's where I come in, right?"

Jaejoong smiles, "Indeed. You're the only one of us that has outside connections to other packs. I need you to pick up the phone and start making some calls." He takes a sip from the coffee cup in his hands, smirking as he continues, "Sweet talk 'em. Bribe em.' Offer that perky ass of yours up on a silver platter, I don't care what you have to do, get them here, got it?" 

Junsu chuckles, running a hand through his hair. "Bribery and sweet talk I can do. But leave my poor ass alone, yea?" Yoochun bursts out laughing, and Jaejoong rolls his eyes at the two morons he calls his best friends. "Alright, fine, but you get the point. I need you to do that, like, now. Cool?" Junsu nods, giving a little salute. "Aye, aye, captain." He pulls out his cell phone and exits the room to do as instructed. Jaejoong turns to Yoochun, continuing the rest of the plan. "K, so here's the tricky part. Getting Minho and Zhoumi out of the picture. We should probably try to do it quietly, and we have to act quickly. If we're going to survive, we have to get to them before they can get to us. Slice their throats in their sleep or some shit."

Yoochun smirks, laughing lightly. "That's all well and good, Jae. But we don't know what they smell like. And we sure as hell don't have time to wait for Changmin and Yunho to get back to ask them about it." Jaejoong curses under his breath, twitching his nose in agitation, "That's true. And we can't track them if we don't know their scent." He sighs, trying to think of another plan. 

"Well," Yoochun begins, "it's risky, but we could always wait it out. Let them come to us. Lure them into a trap of some kind." Jaejoong cocks his head to the side, pondering this. "Could work," he concedes, "did you have anything specific in mind?" Yoochun strokes his chin, working it all out in his head, "Well, of course it would also help if we knew around when they'll be coming. But since we know pretty much jack shit, our best bet is to have the trap set permanently and be ready at all times." Jaejoong studies him, waiting for him to continue. "As for what the trap should be...perhaps using Changmin as bait somehow? Again," he holds his hands up before Jaejoong can cut him off, "extremely risky, but could be our best bet." 

Jaejoong hums, considering. "Well, we already know Minho knows where they work. Maybe we can use that to our advantage? Have Changmin and Yunho keep going into work, and just keep watch and wait?" 

"Better yet," Yoochun interjects, "have Yunho call out one day, and have Changmin go to work alone. That might draw them out, and then we can sneak up on them, reinforcements in tow." Jaejoong considers it, nodding. "That might work, but Yunho would never go for it. He'd never leave Changmin's side, and honestly I can't say I'd blame him." Yoochun smacks his lips, continuing, "I hear you, however, he might just have to get over it." He gestures emphatically, explaining, "Besides, we'd be  _right there._ Tailing Changmin. Keeping constant watch. Making sure he's safe. And it would be the best way of getting our enemies off guard, which is what we want." Jaejoong makes an agonized sound, knowing this is not going to go over well. "Do we have any other ideas? One that won't get me killed by our alpha?"

Yoochun chuckles, shaking his head. "Not really, bro. Besides, you have to admit, it  _is_ a good plan." Jaejoong nods, conceding that much to his friend. "But," he starts, quirking a brow, "What if Minho anticipates the trap? He would more than likely think it odd that Changmin was there alone. He might figure it out and anticipate us." Yoochun nods, "That's very true. He might anticipate  _us._ What he  _won't_ anticipate is us with a small army in tow." Jaejoong smirks, laughing, "Well, that's all providing that Junsu is successful." Yoochun smiles broadly, eyes glinting mischievously. "Oh, trust me, he will be. Nobody sweet talks like Junsu. Plus he's fresh meat. He'll have all the alphas in Korea happy to do his bidding if they think they might just get a piece of that afterwards." Jaejoong shakes his head, "Well, let's just hope it works out."

Yoochun nods, "Let's just let him work and lay low for today. When Yunho and Changmin get back, we'll have a solid plan for them to consider. And we'll take it from there."

Jaejoong exhales, eyes widening, slapping his hands down onto the tops of his knees and keeping them there. "I just hope my head is still attached to my shoulders once I tell all this to Yunho....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minho paces around the outside of Changmin and Yunho’s office, curiousity at a peak. He’s dressed in a business suit in an effort to blend in, and he absolutely hates it. Minho hates being in human form period, and his pack shares the same mentality. The suit feels stuffy and unnatural, and Minho wants nothing more than to rip it off and shift, feel the firm ground beneath his paws. After going back to check on the pack last night, and a quick rest, he came back to check on the progress, and he’s currently awaiting Zhoumi’s latest report.

It was a bold move for the two to go back to work, knowing damn well Minho knows the location. However, Minho chooses not to act, assuming that there’s some kind of reasoning behind these actions and not wanting to jump in too soon. Now that he’s calmed down a bit, he’s able to see that this is an operation that needs to be carried out efficiently and with precision, or else humans may be made aware of their presence in this world and therefore irreparable damage done for all werekind. Despite his anger and thirst for vengeance, even Minho knows nothing is worth that risk.

Zhoumi appears, walking up to Minho with long, quick strides. “Any word?” Minho asks, face twisted in an anxious expression. Zhoumi shakes his head. “I’m sorry, alpha. We haven’t yet been able to track down where Yunho’s friend lives. But we are making progress. We should have it nailed down in the next day or so.” Minho’s upper lip twitches, fire in his eyes. “See to it that you do. We don’t have time to play around. You know I don’t tolerate failure.” Zhoumi bows, movements jittered and nervous. “I know, alpha. I’ll have the location for you soon. You have my word.” Minho nods, “Very well then. Off with you.”

Zhoumi bows again, and immediately departs. Minho goes back to eyeing the building, looking for any sign of his prey, and trying his best to be patient.

_“Soon……”_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Fortunately, nothing out of the ordinary happens at work for Yunho and Changmin. Yunho watched his lover like a hawk for the majority of the day, making sure nothing out of sorts befell the younger. When the end of the day rolled around, Changmin came to Yunho immediately, and they headed to the parking garage together, Yunho clutching onto to Changmin desperately, steering him toward their car as fast as possible. As soon as they were in and situated, Yunho took off, getting them the hell out of there as quickly as possible. Now, safely back at the apartment, Jaejoong ushers the two of them in, stating that he has a solid plan and that they might want to sit down before hearing it. Changmin looks at Yunho uneasily, not sure he wants to know this plan. He doesn't know Jaejoong as well as Yunho does, and therefore has no way to gauge how serious the situation might be based on the older man's expression alone. Yunho, however, knows. And he knows that he's not going to like whatever it is he's about to be told.

"So," Jaejoong begins. "I know you're gonna freak, Yun, and be that as it may." He takes a deep breath, steadying himself. "Yoochun and I discussed this, and Junsu was able to get quite a few people to come assist us with this. We're looking at about 10 more added to our ranks, which is massively helpful." Yunho nods, glad to hear that part at least. "Ok, great. There's something else though, isn't there?" Jaejoong fidgets uneasily, interally saying 'fuck it' and deciding that the best way to do this is just to be honest and spit it out. "So...we think the best way to get Minho and Zhoumi out of the picture is to set a trap. And by trap I mean using Changmin as bait. Send him to work alone, we'll tail his every step, and the minute they show up, take 'em out." Jaejoong blurts it all out, waiting for the shit to hit the fan, and sure enough, it does.

Yunho blinks a few times, anger slowly registering on his features before he explodes. "Hell no, Jae. Not in a million years. There's no way I'd put Changmin in that kind of danger, he's fucking  _pregnant,_ have you lost your mind?!?!" Jaejoong makes a calming gesture, continuing. "Look, Yun, I know it's risky. But it's really the best chance we've got. Minho will not let that opportunity pass him by, and he's smart enough to know that if he were to hurt Changmin, you'd come running, and therefore he could take you out, too. Even if he senses a trap, he won't be able to fight the urge to go." Yunho shakes his head, "I don't care. There has to be another way. I won't allow this." Changmin reaches for Yunho's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, trying to calm him. "We'll be  _right there,_ Yunho." Jaejoong continues, "We won't let him out of our sight. And there will be 14 of us all spread out, tailing him. The second the enemy shows up, we'll have them in our grasp before they can even get to Changmin."

Yunho shakes his head adamantly. "I don't care how many you have, I wouldn't care if you had a thousand men, I refuse to risk Changmin getting hurt." Jaejoong sighs, knowing full well that this was the reaction he'd get. Changmin finally speaks up, grabbing Yunho's hand to get his attention. "Babe, it's ok. I want to do it. It's a really good plan, actually." Yunho's eyes widen, and he shakes his head again. "Changmin...no.....I can't let you do this." Changmin sticks to his guns, insisting, "Yunho. You'll be right there. If anything goes wrong, you can pull me out. I trust that you wouldn't let anything happen to me. This is our best chance to catch them off guard. I know Minho and Zhoumi better than you do, and I'm telling you, it's a good plan. Just trust me baby." Yunho's eyes become wet, unshed tears pooling in the corners. "I just...I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you..."

Changmin takes his other hand, squeezing both gently and leaning in to press a soft kiss to Yunho's cheek. "And..." Yunho begins, "It's not you I don't trust. It's them." Changmin nods, doing his best to be encouraging. "I know, baby. But this is far better than waiting for them to come kill us. And not being prepared." Yunho nods, trying to hold back his tears. Looking back to Jaejoong, who had been quietly allowing the lovers their space to discuss all this, Yunho asks, "How long until the reinforcements arrive, Jae?" Jaejoong's brows raise, and he responds quickly, "Should be here day after next. I was figuring on setting the trap for as soon as they get here. We don't really have time to waste." Yunho inhales sharply, realizing how limited their time in safety truly is. He nods, giving in despite his fears. Deep down, he knows that desperate times call for desperate measures. Looking to Jaejoong, "You and all the others better not dare let Changmin out of your sight, or you'll all have me to answer to. The minute you sense that something might be off, I want him out. Got it?"

Jaejoong nods, "That was the plan, captain. You know Yoochun, Junsu, and myself would die to protect you, as well as Changmin. We won't let anything happen to him, you have our word." Just then, Junsu and Yoochun enter the room, and they quickly echo Jaejoong's sentiments. Yunho still feels extremely unsettled, but he knows there's no sense arguing the point. All he can do is just vow to himself that he'll protect his lover and offspring at all costs. That's his job, that's all he knows. And he'd never forgive himself if he failed. 

They solidify the plans and the four of them discuss everything late into the evening, until Changmin gets tired and insists on going to bed. Yunho of course follows, now more than ever wanting some alone time with his lover. The minute they're in the sanctity of Yoochun's room, Yunho pounces, tackling Changmin onto the bed. Yunho manages to get rid of all of their clothes so quickly that it's almost as if they vanished into thin air. Yunho doesn't care if Jaejoong yells at him for the noise, Yunho doesn't care about anything right now other than being buried so deep inside his lover that he forgets where he is. Changmin recognizes this for what it is, and is more than willing to give Yunho what he needs. The older's desperation becomes evident quickly, with the way he practically devours every inch of bare skin in front of him, like he's afraid he'll never be able to do so again. And, if he were being honest, that's precisely what he's afraid of.

It doesn't take Changmin long to be ready, and Yunho slips inside him, unwilling to waste time. He cocoones Changmin with his arms, rocking into him with a look in his eyes that damn near breaks Changmin's heart. There's sadness there, and worry, and most prevalent of all, fear. Changmin wraps his arms around Yunho's broad back, looking directly into his eyes.

"Baby, it's going to be, alright. Yun, I promise..."

Yunho silences him with a passionate kiss, not wanting to hear anything more about the stupid plan or their enemies. "Changmin....just...don't. Don't talk. Just...just let me...."

Changmin nods, understanding. He allows himself to be consumed, eaten alive by Yunho's love. Changmin just keeps kissing him, swallowing his moans, tangling his finger's in his lover's hair, and hanging on for dear life as Yunho continues to pound into him like a man possessed. Changmin feels his climax approaching far sooner than it should, and he doesn't know what does it; the look in Yunho's eyes, the constant abuse of the sensitive cluster of nerves inside him, the general intensity radiating from the man above him, or the primal need to please his alpha...or perhaps all of the above. Regardless of which, it hits him like a freight train, body trembling lightly as he explodes beneath his lover, giving himself over to bliss.

Yunho follows shortly behind, and Changmin groans at the feel of Yunho filling him so fully, spilling inside him, making him feel whole. He closes his eyes, letting the feeling wash over him, but when he opens his eyes, the sight knocks him breathless. Yunho looks to be on the verge of tears, and Changmin's heart breaks at seeing him so vulnerable. It's not something he's seen often thus far. 

"Changmin..." he speaks in a breathy tone, and Changmin looks up at him with as much love as he can pour into an expression. "Yes?"

"I can't live without you...."

Changmin pulls Yunho into a firm embrace, the two of them still connected, in all senses.

"You won't have to, Yunho. I promise."


	5. The Time Has Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the shift is complete, Yunho looks down at this paws, noticing they are far, far larger than they should be. It takes about a split second for him to realize that's he's standing on only two feet as well, this new form seeming to be something that's more of an even mix between the human and the wolf. With one very, very big difference.
> 
> Yunho is huge.

The next day seems to roll by in a haze for Yunho. He's not even entirely certain how he managed to get through the work day, every little thing just set his nerves on edge. He watches over Changmin again, not letting his pregnant lover out of his sight for even a second, not giving a damn who thinks it strange. Yunho knows that come tomorrow, the plan springs into action, and he can't help but let thoughts of what all could possibly go wrong plague his mind. It's a unique form of torture, one he earnestly hopes he doesn't have to deal with again for a very, very long time. 

Changmin, on the other hand, seems amazingly unaffected. He carries himself just as always, and Yunho finds himself filled with a sense of pride. His mate is a strong one, braver than he could have dreamed, and Yunho feels grateful to have him by his side. Part of him thinks that Changmin might even be stronger than he is, and a very small part of him  _knows_ it. It's Changmin's strength that gives him hope; that gets him through the day, makes him think that perchance yes, just maybe everything  _will_ be ok.

When close of business rolls around, Yunho flocks immediately to Changmin's side, as is slowly becoming tradition, walking him out to the car and making sure he gets inside of it untouched. He drives back to Jaejoong's place in relative silence, Changmin's hand wrapped around his thigh encouragingly, squeezing in reassurance. Changmin knows the turmoil rolling around inside Yunho's mind; he doesn't need to ask. He shares some of that same turmoil himself. The only difference is, he's able to keep it all inside, for Yunho's sake. That is his duty, and he refuses to add more stress onto his lover, and so he remains quiet and steadfast, although he's just as terrified as Yunho is.

When they arrive back at the apartment, something seems....off. First of all, Yunho notices immediately that there a quite a few more cars than usual parked around his spot. Once they actually get into the building and up to the room, the ruckus that can be heard through the door also gives Yunho pause, as that sounds like a hell of a lot more than three people moving about in there. When he opens the door, the scent hits him like a Mack truck, and he relizes instantly that yes, there are  _indeed_ a hell of a lot more than three people in here, in fact it looks like a house party with not enough room, and smells a bit more like a zoo. There's the distinct odor of fellow alphas, the rather sickeningly sweet scent of omega, and a whole array of in-between. When Yunho enters, all eyes are on him, and he feels more than a little bit on edge.

He waves, not sure what else to do. "Hello there. What's the party for and why wasn't I invited?" 

There's a moment of silence, and suddenly, (thank all the heavens) Jaejoong appears from somewhere in the kitchen area. "Oh, hey Yunho, Changmin." He nods to each in turn, smiling. "Sorry, it's a bit of a madhouse in here." He gestures at the room at large, a bit grandiosely, but in a very 'Jaejoong' fashion. "These.....are your reinforcements. Not bad, eh?" 

Yunho nods, and suddenly the situation makes a hell of a lot more sense. Although, he didn't realize that all of their small 'army' was going to be crashing at the apartment. Needless to say, this is going to get really interesting, really quickly. He forces a smile, looking around and trying to greet everyone at large. "Yes, fantastic. Thank all of you for being here, we really appreciate your help. Seriously." The room grumbles various forms of acknowledgement, some just nodding, some bowing in respect, others ignoring him flat-out. One steps up, looking rather kind, and giving off an aura of wisdom. The man speaks, and Yunho feels instantly comfortable around him. "Hey, I'm Jeong-su. I'm the alpha of most of these clowns." He gestures to the group at large. "We're from a bit farther north, close to the border. We patrol, make sure the Northern packs don't try to cross over." He pauses, continuing, "We're familiar with Siwon's pack, well I guess it's Minho's now..." he gives a little shrug, "but anyway..they're usually nothing but trouble."

Yunho smiles, but allows Jeong-su to continue. "And when Junsu called," he gestures towards said man, who, Yunho now notices, is sitting on the couch, getting rather cozy with Yoochun. There's an unknown person on his other side, eyeing Junsu like he's a piece of meat, and it's pretty clear that Junsu is doing everything in his power to look as off the market as humanly possible. It's kind of adorable, but Yunho quickly realizes that Jeong-su is still speaking, and so he forces himself to listen. "-told us your story, and well, we've been dying to take those idiots out for ages. So I grabbed a few of my own, got some friends on board, and here we are, at your service." 

Yunho gives a little bow, showing his respect and appreciation. "And I thank you for it. We're forever indebted to you for your assistance, truly." Jeong-su waves him away casually, shaking his head. "Nah. It's perfectly fine. Like I said, we've been looking for a reason to knock that crew down a few pegs. And besides, never hurts to have more allies. I scratch your back, you scratch mine, right?" Yunho nods. "Of course. We're not really much of a...pack....but I believe I speak for all five of us in saying that we'd be happy to return the favor any time." Jeong-su smiles, "Perfect. All is well then." Yunho tilts his head curiously, something nagging at his mind. "Might I ask a question, though? What do you mean when you say you've been looking for a reason. Did Siwon's pack do something to yours? I'm sorry to pry, I'm just curious."

Jeong-su waves his hand dismissively, "Not prying at all." He sighs, beginning a brief explanation. "Long story short, Siwon was a greedy bastard. And we have no doubt that Minho is the same. Siwon was always trying to expand his pack, putting his nose in other packs' business, plotting to take over several of them..." gestures in a rolling motion, "so on and so forth. He'd have probably taken over all of Korea if he could." Changmin speaks up for the first time since they entered the apartment, agreeing. "It's true." All eyes in the room now settle on him, and he gulps, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the scrutiny. "Siwon was always picking fights with other packs. It's likely what got so many of us killed the night we were raided." 

Jeong-su's eyes widen at that. "Ah, yes, I remember hearing about that. Bad news travels fast in our world. You're Changmin, I assume?" Changmin nods, holding onto Yunho's arm tightly. "I am." Jeong-su smiles, nodding. "Pleasure to meet you. Aishh...I'm an asshole. Totally forgot to introduce the rest of us." He points to the man currently making Junsu a nervous mess, "that's my second-hand man, Heechul." The addressed gives a little salute, smiling. "That'd be me. Nice to meet ya." Jeong-su points to the man on Heechul's other side, who seems rather uninterested in all the goings-on, "That's Kyuhyun." The man nods, giving a small smile and a wave.

Jeong-Su indicates three others, all sitting in a circle on the floor. "That's Hyukjae, Ryeowook, and Henry." They all give curt little nods, quickly turning back to their conversations. He then points to two standing against the wall. "That's Young-woon and Jong-woon." Jeong-su adds, "That's all of my crew. Those two," indicates two men that are rather separated from the others, leaning against the far wall on the opposite side of the living area. "are Jinki and Jonghyun." Those two turn at the mention of their names, giving little waves. They seem friendly enough, and it's fairly obvious that they're not with the others. Jeong-su explains, "They're from a neighboring pack that patrols with us on occasion. And that's everyone." He smiles, and Yunho finds that he likes him, and is very much grateful for his presence. 

Yunho smiles, trying his best to address everyone, "Great. It really is wonderful to meet you all, and I can't tell you what it means to me that you're assisting us. It won't go forgotten, I assure you." He wraps an arm around Changmin's waist, pulling him close. The guy creeping on Junsu, Heechul, if Yunho remembers correctly, speaks up, cooing playfully. "Aww, you two are adorable. We can't let anything happen to such a cute lil preggo like him," gestures to Changmin, "now can we?" Jeong-su sits back down, laughing. "Don't mind this one," he jerks a thumb in Heechul's direction, "he's a piece of work. Fantastic fighter, but crazy as all get out, aren't ya, Hee?" Heechul rolls his eyes, jabbing his alpha in the side. "It's a good thing you're cute, you know. Otherwise I'd never put up with your shit." 

Jeong-su just laughs, and a few of the others echo him. Just then, Jaejoong pipes up, saying the words that will undoubtedly get any weres' attention. "Alright you bunch of jackasses, I've got fresh meat over here! Get your stinky butts in here if you plan on eating!" The entire room seems to get up at once, the mention of 'food' having all of them crowding into the kitchen at once. "Ay, ay, ay!" Jaejoong bellows, "this ain't a fuckin' buffet, single file line, please! Can we get some kind of order around here? Damn!" The crowd mutters their agreement, beginning to get a bit more organized, slowly. Yunho nudges Changmin forward. "Go eat, baby. I know you're hungry. I can wait."

Changmin cocks a brow, uncertain. "Are you sure? I don't want you to miss out.." Yunho places a finger to his lips gently, silencing him. "It's Jaejoong, you know he makes enough to feed twelve armies. There'll be plenty. Go." Changmin nods, heading towards the kitchen as Yunho hangs back, deciding to wait until the line goes down a little. Jeong-su notices Changmin approach, and immediately stops, issuing a command to his fellows. "Yah, everyone back up, let him get some. He's eating for more than one, don't be rude." The others obey without dissent, and one of the outsiders, Jonghyun, actually grabs a plate, loads it full of meat, and hands it to Changmin. "Here you go, is this enough?" He asks with a gentle smile. Changmin nods, giving a small bow. "Wow, yes. Thank you. You're very kind." Jonghyun smiles. "I have a pregnant mate myself, at home. I know all about feeding growing were babies." He gives a wink, and Changmin chuckles, thanking him again before walking into the living area and dropping onto one of the couches.

Everyone eats heartily, knowing that they will very much need their energy for the next day. They all talk and get to know each other a bit better as the night wears on, sharing food and drink and a few laughs, too. It's a bit insane, what with literally wall to wall people crammed into the small apartment, but Yunho and Changmin both grow to appreciate each of them, and all in all, the night is a fun one. When it comes time to go to sleep, many of them crash on the floor, Jaejoong delving out blankets and pillows while some of them lay out on the couch and recliners. Yunho and Changmin wish everyone a fond goodnight, heading back to their current bedroom, curling up in each other's arms, ready to get some very much needed shut-eye.

Changmin passes out damn near immediately, while Yunho is still a bit restless. He watches his lover as he sleeps, taking time to notice just how stunningly beautiful he truly is, how passive and angelic he looks while he sleeps. All he can think of is how he hopes with all his might that this isn't the last time he gets to see Changmin like this.

After an hour or so, Yunho finally falls into a fitful sleep, holding Changmin close as the nightmares wrack his brain. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Changmin is the first to wake up the next morning, feeling fair well rested despite all that's happened, and more importantly,  _about_ to happen. He feels arms draped around him, possessively so, and the intoxicating scent of his lover, his alpha, invades his senses. Both sides of him; the predominant wolf, and the secondary human, feel an overwhelming sense of  _home,_ and it makes him feel safe, makes him feel like he can overcome anything, as long as he has this man by his side. He watches Yunho sleep for a few moments, studies the furrow of his brow and the slant of his jaw, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, unable to resist. His lover's eyes flutter open at the gentle touch, eyes immediately looking at Changmin's, a small smile forming on his lips before he can stop it. "Morning, gorgeous." He says, voice a bit groggy with sleep.

Changmin smiles back, eyes bright. "Morning, handsome." He lets out a little sigh, but retains his smile. "You ready to kick some ass today?" Yunho chuckles, giving his head a small shake. "Is that what we're going to do? God I hope so." Changmin nods. "Yes. Only positive thoughts right now. I won't allow anything else." Yunho nuzzles his neck, the gesture slightly wolf-like, inhaling his scent and trying to stay calm. "Anything you want, baby. I'll do my best. We're gonna get through this...we have to..."

Changmin kisses the corner of his lips, a sign of reassurance. They lie together side by side for a few moments, silent, just enjoying the simple intimacy of being so close to one another. All too soon, the time comes for them to put their plan into action. The details are a bit vague, which is what scares Yunho the most, but there really was no time to perfect it, and maybe that's for the best. Yunho makes a call to his boss, feigning illness and apologizing profusely, clearing the way for Changmin to show up solo. The 'troops' rally, and they all cram into two vehicles, neither of which would be recognizable to the enemy, and they head for the office building, tailing Changmin from afar as he takes a car of his own, so as to not rouse too much suspicion. 

Yunho's eternally grateful that Jaejoong volunteered to drive, as he fears he'd wreck the car due to the current state of his anxiety. Once they arrive, they park on the same level of the garage as Changmin, but each car picks a different row. Jeong-su and some of his crew park closest to Changmin, and five of them pile out of the car, all dressed in suits, like they're employees about to walk in to start the work day, just like anyone else. They walk several feet behind Changmin, and Yunho has to admit, he's impressed with how casual they seem, how well they blend in. He watches from afar for a few moments before getting out of his car, Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu, and a few others exiting as well, staying well behind, but staying vigilant. Changmin's life is in the hands of Jeong-su and his pack at this point, as they are the only ones that Minho and his crew might not readily recognize. Yunho doesn't like it, but he's left without much choice.

A few others of the northern pack begin to make their appearance, filtering out from their spot a few lanes down, making their way towards the others a bit more slowly, waiting to see if they're needed.

Everything seems perfectly fine until Changmin reaches the elevator, and then suddenly, Jeong-su's head darts up, and he appears to be sniffing the air. 

And then it all goes to hell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_One hour earlier....._

Minho is outside the office building again, Zhoumi at his side. They had successfully located the place where Changmin and Yunho were staying the previous night, but didn't dare act, as the moment they arrived outside the door, the stench of multiple weres hit them like a ton of bricks, and they did not come prepared to deal with that amount of enemies. 

They're prepared now, however. Fully.

Minho had been able to scrounge up quite a few reinforcements of his own, leaving their total ranks at around twenty. All of whom are getting ready to descend on the office building as they speak. Minho's not really certain if they'll even show up today, or if they have some other plan up their sleeve, but either way, he's going to be ready. If they show up at the office, they're going down. If they don't, they'll go to the apartment and take them down there. Easy enough. 

After about thirty minutes, the rest of their recruits arrive, spreading themselves out strategically around the building, most of them heading to the parking garage, because if the enemy does in fact show up, that's the place they'll have to go first. They lie in wait, Minho and Zhoumi ready to issue silent commands in wolf form should anything need to be communicated to the others. It's only about another thirty minutes before Minho sees Changmin pull up and park. Only when he steps out of the car does Minho realize that Changmin is alone.

 _"God, they're stupid. I can't believe they'd actually let him come here by himself."_ Zhoumi speaks to Minho through the pack mind. Minho shakes his head, the words echoing in all the others' heads.  _"I don't trust it. They're all here, I guarantee it. They're trying to set a trap for us. Little do they know, we have the upper hand."_

Minho sees a group of other men walking toward the building not too far behind Changmin, silently cursing their luck. They can't exactly attack their target when there's unsuspecting humans about. However, when one of the men stops short, sniffing the air, Minho immediately realizes that it's not a human at all. Only a were acts in such a manner. 

Minho issues the command, completely convinced and not wanting to waste any more time.  _"They're all weres. Flank them, kill them all. Bring Changmin to me alive. Do it. Now."_

They don't need to be told twice.

Zhoumi darts out from behind an SUV, charging directly at Changmin, making to tackle him, several others behind him, surrounding the enemy weres with swift efficiency. The enemies shift down to their full wolf form immediately, and the sound of growls echo off the walls in the large, open space. More enemy wolves appear, and the rest of Minho's men fall in as well, having heard the call moments ago. 

It's a showdown, and who will come out the victor is yet to be seen....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yunho sees everything change almost as if it's happening in slow motion. He registers the sight of Zhoumi running at Changmin and his heart nearly stops. Not caring about anything else, he issues a command to the others. " _Move! Now! Protect Changmin at all costs, move, move, move!!"_

He shifts into wolf form immediately, and the others follow suit. Soon, the sound of paws hitting concrete is all Yunho can register beyond the blood rushing in his ears. His eyes are trained on Changmin, who has also shifted, bless him and his instincts. Zhoumi has pounced on him, taking him to the floor, Changmin twisting his body so that he lands on his back, protection instincts taking over. Yunho is nearly there, but Jeong-su, who is quickly becoming one of Yunho's new favorite people, is on Zhoumi so quickly that it's nearly a blur. A smaller, reddish-haired wolf is assisting, whom Yunho assumes must be Heechul, and between the two of them they manage to get Zhoumi off of Changmin and immobilized, pinned to the floor. It doesn't hold, unfortunately, as apparently Zhoumi is a slippery one and he manages to wriggle out from under Jeong-su's hold, running back towards his packmates. Yunho finally arrives, speaking to the two from the northern pack.

_"I've got Changmin, go assist the others."_

Heechul and Jeong-su nod, moving away to get involved in the fray. Yunho hovers protectively over his mate, looking down at him with concern evident in his deep, canine eyes.

" _Baby, are you alright? Please tell me you're alright."_

Changmin nods, a rather strange gesture to see a wolf perform, but it's fitting nonetheless. 

_"I'm fine, Yunho. Back hurts a little but our babies are just fine. Breathe. I'm ok, love."_

Yunho makes to reply, but Changmin's voice is suddenly in his head again, filled with anxiety and fear. " _Oh my god, Yunho, look..."_

Yunho follows the path of his lover's eyes, and turns his attention to the melee for the first time, as up until then his sights were set on Changmin and Changmin alone. What he sees nearly makes his heart stop. 

They're outnumbered. It doesn't appear to be by alot, but just enough to make a difference. There's weres scattered all over the parking garage, and Yunho is very, very glad that almost everyone in his office works the same shift, because if any humans were to walk in here right now, it would be extremely difficult to explain away, and undoubtedly they'd wind up dead. 

Every were on his team has an enemy wolf on them, and several even have two, including Jaejoong and Yoochun. It seems that Minho has taken a particular interest in his dear friends, particularly Jaejoong. Yunho's heart drops into his stomach when he realizes that the two flanking him are not just Minho, but Zhoumi as well, which means that the two most well-trained fighters in the enemy pack are both on the person who might just be his closest friend on this earth.

After all Jaejoong has done for him, it kills Yunho to see him struggle like this, but there's nothing he can do. He understands precisely why Minho targeted him, it's a lure. But Yunho can't leave Changmin unprotected. The minute he does, it's all over. 

Unfortunately, he's no longer able to focus on Jaejoong right this moment, as a movement in his peripheral alerts him to an outside presence. There are two enemy wolves creeping toward him, teeth bared, growling, obviously set on getting his attention away from Changmin. Or taking him out altogether. He curses his luck, adrenaline beginning to flow heavily through his veins, fueling him, powering his inner alpha and giving him strength. He'll die protecting Changmin, happily, and he'll be damn sure to take these bastards down with him.

" _Baby, get up. We have to move."_

He speaks to his mate, stepping off of him and allowing him to stand, immediately pressing himself against his front, pushing him backwards into the nearest corner, the two enemies following slowly, slinking towards them. Once Changmin is tucked into the corner behind him, just a few feet from the elevator, Yunho gets into a predatory defensive stance, paws firmly planted, ready to pounce. 

_"Lay down and curl up, Changmin. Protect the babies. Whatever you do, don't move."_

Changmin says nothing, knowing better than to deny his alpha right now. He's frustrated, because he wants to help. He's not a bad fighter himself, and he feels absolutely  _horrible_ allowing others to fight in his stead, he feels useless and cowardly. But he knows he has no other choice. His main priorities are those precious unborn pups inside him, and his nurturing instincts demand him to protect them at all costs. Yunho shifts forward a bit so that Changmin can lie down, out of the melee, and he curls into a fetal position, flattening his paws against his belly, nose tucked in, the top of his head pressed against the concrete wall, just taking deep breaths and waiting.

The two make their move, both coming at him with a flurry of claws and teeth. He focuses on the larger one, a dusty white wolf with jet black eyes, and he lunges at him, digging his teeth into his neck. He feels claws digging into his back, knowing that the other wolf has decided to join, but he can't concentrate on two things at once. Better to get rid of one and take a bit of a hit, and  _then_ focus on the other. 

That's easier said then done, as the one below him is a fighter, nipping and clawing at everything he has access to, and all to soon, Yunho is starting to wear down. It doesn't take long before he's covered in bites and scratches, some of the gashes deep. His regenerative abilities are working overtime, but the injuries are coming so fast that it's hard to keep up, and he's beginning to wear down. He's frustrated, he's tired, and most of all, he's scared. Scared for his life, scared for the lives of his friends, and scared for the life of the one he loves most of all.

A shrieking howl cuts through the parking garage, echoing in the large space and cutting through Yunho like a knife. That's not a howl of fear or anger. That's a howl of  _pain._

And judging by the sound, a great deal of it.

Yunho chances a look towards the howl, only to see Jaejoong hit the concrete floor, seemingly unconcious, blood pouring out of a gaping wound in his chest. 

Yunho's blood runs cold, terror and anger filtering through every pore of his body.

He has no idea what kind of shape Jaejoong was in when he took the hit, how fast he can heal. More importantly, he has no idea how close the hit was to his friend's heart, and that is the one thing that a werewolf's regenerative abilities  _cannot_ heal.

Jaejoong still lies there, unmoving, and something within Yunho snaps.

It was a slow build; the panic over his mate's safety, the attack from the two wolves, his friends' safety in jeopardy, and the final straw coming when Jaejoong's body hit the floor. A surge of adrenaline and outright  _power_ runs through Yunho, so intense that he can barely control it. He feels his body twitch, the warm, tingling feeling rushing over him that typically indicates that he's about to shift from form to form. But this...this is not the usual, it's far more intense, and he feels his muscles stretch a bit, bones shifting inside his body as he changes into something else.

He howls loudly, a scared, desperate sound, and all were eyes in the place are instantly on him. Not to mention, the two wolves that were fighting him both give a little frightened yelp, backing away in haste. When the shift is complete, Yunho looks down at this paws, noticing they are far, far larger than they should be. It takes about a split second for him to realize that's he's standing on only two feet as well, this new form seeming to be something that's more of an even mix between the human and the wolf. With one very, very big difference.

Yunho is  _huge._

There's a thrumming of strength running just under his skin, and as he looks out at the wolves that are currently staring at him, he realizes that they are noticeably smaller than they were moments ago. Yunho has no idea what's happened or why...if this is somehow related to his supposed royal bloodline, if he's a freak of nature, he has no idea. But one thing's for certain, he's not about to let this new advantage go to waste. 

Giving a final look behind to make sure that Changmin is still comfortably curled against the wall, safe and sound, which he is, Yunho takes a few steps towards the enemy wolves, the bloodlust in his veins commanding him to  _kill, kill, kill,_ in a way that's far more intense than he's ever experienced before. His body is out of control, the only thought in his mind that of taking as many of these bastards out as humanly possible.

Yunho's rationale mind goes back, and he knows nothing but the frenzy, the insatiable urge to spill blood.

And then, he lets go....


	6. The Search for Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin smiles back, nodding. "I know. You'll keep us safe, you always do. I trust you, my alpha."

It's the most exhilarating thing he's ever experienced.

The surge of adrenaline. The previously untapped power now zinging through his veins like fire. 

The bloodcurdling screams of his enemies. 

It's beautiful, really.

The two wolves that were flanking Yunho now cower in fear, whining and whimpering at the sheer size of him, and he makes quick work of them for even daring to come near what's his. The white wolf gets flung into a side wall of the garage with a bone-crunching thud, the darker one gets a punch to the gut that nearly severs the canine in half, and all within mere seconds. Yunho is able to muster enough sense to tell the others  _"I need two of you to flank Changmin, I'll take care of the rest"_ before he's off like a bullet, moving so fast despite his huge size, headed straight for Zhoumi and Minho.

Most of the other weres were in such a state of shock at Yunho's transformation that they stopped fighting, leaving both sides open for attack. Fortunately, the alpha's warning to his team was enough to snap them out of it and jumpstart the process. Jeong-su and Heechul in particular were able to take advantage of the temporary distraction and cut down the ones they were engaged in combat with fairly quickly, going back to watch over Changmin and make sure he stays safe. Everyone on Yunho's side is just as confused as the enemies, but they're smart enough not to question it and do as instructed. He reaches the two most responsible for all of this, growling menacingly, teeth bared and fur bristling with rage.

Zhoumi cracks, trying to back away or flee, which is damn near impossible. " _Just what the fuck are you??!!"_ Yunho can hear his panic, can smell the fear radiating off of him in waves. But Yunho doesn't care. Things like compassion and kindness have all but left him, the only thing left is the insatiable need for bloodshed. He snaps Zhoumi's back like a twig, cornering the wolf and capturing him in-between his jowls and biting down, letting him fall lifeless to the garage floor. He sets his sights on Minho, whom, much to his disappointment, is just as defiant as ever, even with what will most definitely be his last few breaths. 

" _You can't kill us all, Yunho. We'll carry on, we always have and always will. You'll live in fear of our clan until the day you die."_

Normally Yunho would have some kind of clever comeback for that remark, but his mind is a blank. He sees only red, feels only the bloodlust. He uses his increased manual dexterity to grab ahold of Minho's throat with a giant, clawed hand, silencing him from spewing further nonsense and crushing the bones in his neck, tossing him aside as if he were nothing but a ragdoll. It might not be the death Yunho would have preferred to have given Minho had he been in his right mind; a slow, tortuous descent into madness and pain, but the deed is done, and Yunho has several other weres to deal with, and quickly. 

He rampages through the garage, freeing Junsu and Yoochun from their enemies, both of him immediately rushing to Jaejoong's side to evaluate him. Somewhere deep down, Yunho wants to know how his dear friend is just as much as they do, but he's far too occupied with making mincemeat out of what's left of Minho's team. The garage soon fills with the sounds of sickening crunches and thuds, howls, screeches, and snaps. Yunho speeds everywhere, taking the enemies out like they're made of mere paper, shredding them and tossing them aside. His heart pounds, his blood surges, his breath quickens and when he's finally gotten through everyone....every last enemy were.....he slows, padding back to where Jeong-su and Heechul stand guard over Changmin's body, collapsing onto the cold, hard ground.

He feels like he's drugged; the room seems to tilt and spin, and he feels like he's suffocating....like he's been given too much strength and power and doesn't know how to handle it. Yunho reflexively shifts down to his regular wolf form, chest heaving as he tries to calm himself down. His mind very slowly and gradually clears, and he feels his normal senses return to him, everything relaxing and going back to the way it was. Yunho closes his eyes for several moments, and when he opens them, Heechul is looking down at him like he's grown three heads. " _How the fuck did you do that, man? What even -was- that?!"_

Yunho manages to crawl up on all fours, looking around.  _"I have no idea. Changmin?"_ His first priority is still the same, and Jeong-su moves aside to reveal his lover's form, still curled up against the wall.  _"Baby, are you ok? You can get up now, they're all gone."_

Changmin shifts, slowly rising up to all fours himself, big wolf eyes meeting Yunho's own, and the alpha can see fear in those deep brown orbs. " _Yea, I'm ok._ " He assures, but something is still a bit off, something Yunho can't quite put a finger on at the moment. Nor is he given time to dwell on it, as the rest of Jeong-Su's men are coming towards him, all in various states of disarray, but fortunately no one appears to be badly hurt. The two that aren't from Jeong-su's clan, Jinki and Jonghyun, look a little rough, but they're alive, and that's what's most important. Yunho looks up, and Yoochun and Junsu have shifted back to human form, and are carrying the still-wolf form of Jaejoong between them, in a way very similar to if they were moving a heavy piece of furniture, one on either end. Concern is evident on Yunho's face, even in this form, and he doesn't need to ask the question to get an answer.

The two set Jaejoong back down, and Yoochun addresses the crowd at large, most of whom also shift back to human form, except those who still need a bit more time to heal themselves fully. "He's got a pulse. It's very faint, but it's there. He's going to need a lot of time to heal completely, and a hell of a lot of rest." Yunho, having shifted himself as well, heaves a heavy sigh of relief, just knowing that his dear friend still lives. As an alpha, a small sense of pride runs through him at the fact that there were no casualties among those who fought by his side. He nods, acknowledging the statement and beginning to formulate a plan in his head. "Thank God. We probably can't move him too much, can we..." Yunho speculates, and is met with a responding nod from Yoochun. "That's right. He has to focus all of what little strength he has left on healing, or else we're going to lose him for good." 

 Yunho sighs, looking down the rows of vehicles for the van they brought, locating it quickly and seeing that, fortunately, it doesn't appear to have been damaged in the fray. "Jae should have left the keys in the van somewhere, we can just lay him across a seat in the back and keep him as still as we can while I drive back. There's also extra clothes in the backseat, should be enough for everyone." The last part just now dawned on Yunho, as he'd been far too busy and worried to remember that everyone around him is currently naked due to the inevitable shred of clothes during the shift, and that that's something that might cause a bit of a stir should anyone enter the garage. They'd been lucky so far as it is. "Everyone get dressed and get ready to head out." He announces, leading the small army back in the direction of the van.

Some of the weres are still in the healing process, but they're far enough along that they can at least shift and keep steadily healing until they reach Jaejoong's apartment. That's one unfortunate side of the regenerative ability that Yunho has learned; it works at optimum capacity in the wolf form. It's of course present in the human form as well, but it's not quite as powerful, thus why most weres prefer to shift to wolf form when it comes to healing major injuries. As quickly as is possible, the group gets dressed and loaded back up, Jaejoong laid across Junsu's and Yoochun's laps in the very back, everyone else having filed in between somehow. Yunho slips into the driver's seat once the crew is situated, and heads back to the apartment, as quick and as safely as he can manage.

Yunho doesn't know what the consequences of his actions might be. That was not all of Minho's clan, not by a long shot. Someone may rise up and declare revenge one day, but he'll be prepared to deal with it. Anything to protect his family. But as he drives, what clouds his mind most are thoughts of just what on earth happened back there. How did he do that? What  _was_ that form? Clearly it's uncommon, based on everyone else's reactions. It's unsettling, and the future has never seemed more uncertain....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The troop manages to get back to Jaejoong's place in one piece, and much as before, everyone is scattered around the living room, lounging about. Jinki and Jonghyun have shifted forms and are curled up in a corner asleep, letting their battered bodies heal. Some of Jeong-su's group has done the same, and Yoochun and Junsu are stationed in Jaejoong's room, watching over their friend and monitoring his progress, which continues to be rather slow. Changmin had been rather silent on the ride back, and it's unsettling. The moment they arrived, the pregnant were had high-tailed it to Yoochun's room and laid down, shutting the door behind him. Yunho makes certain that everyone is in and settled before he goes to investigate, more than a little bit worried.

He knocks on the door, finding it locked. "Come on baby...what's wrong? Let me in, please..." 

He's greeted with silence for several moments, before the door finally opens, showing Changmin's retreating form as he goes and lies back on the bed. His lover curls in on himself, and Yunho goes into panic mode, walking over and gathering the younger into his arms. "Baby, what is it? Talk to me, please." Changmin bites his lip in response, making a small noise of discomfort before going back to silence once again for several seconds. Yunho sighs, and Changmin finally speaks. "You scared the hell out of me, Yunho. I was watching, you know. I had to turn away eventually, but I saw how you slaughtered everyone. I saw the look in your eyes, like you were dead inside. That's natural for alphas during a kill, but I've never seen it to that extent. And I've never seen anything like what you became in that garage."

Yunho swallows, feeling even more edge than he did before. Changmin knows far more of the were life than he does, as he's still learning every day. If  _Changmin_ of all people has no clue what happened, no one else will, either. 

"Baby..." he starts, unsure what he can say to make this better, but he's determined to try his best. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened myself, honestly. I'm not sure if this has something to do with my ancestry..." he sighs heavily, frustrated and scared, "I'm just as terrifed as you are, Changmin. I'm still learning things about myself, I'm still piecing all this madness together. But don't be afraid of me, please." He cuddles closer, trying to send soothing and calming vibes to his omega. "I'd never hurt you. No matter what shape my body takes. You are always my first priority. You and our babies. Ok?"

Changmin slowly calms himself, believing his alpha's words. He has no choice but to, really. Out of love, and out of duty, each in equal measure. "Ok," he manages, and Yunho wraps him up even closer, not wanting an inch of separation from his lover as he places soothing kisses all along the curve of his neck. "Now, shouldn't we be celebrating or something?" Yunho suggests, trying to pick a brighter subject. "I mean...we're all alive. The babies are safe. We killed the enemy. What are you so glum about, eh?" Changmin still pouts, shaking his head. "They're not all dead. That was only the warriors of the clan, there are others left." Yunho gives him a playful nudge, "Ah, so let them send more. We can take em, can't we?" He smiles, trying to get Changmin to loosen up a bit.

It works, and the younger can't help but to crack a small smile at his lover's efforts. "There we go, that's better." Yunho encourages, rolling Changmin onto his back and crawling on top of him, nipping at his jaw and pressing his fingers into his ribs just to get him to relax and laugh. "Alright, alright, fine." Changmin concedes, grinning. "I surrender. And I believe you. Ok?" Yunho leans in, capturing Changmin's lips in a deep kiss, humming at the familiar sweet taste. He pulls back with a grin, nodding. "Ok. Now, about that celebrating...." 

Needless to say, all thoughts of relaxing are soon forgotten...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the following morning rolls around, Yoochun wakes them to get ready to work, and informs them that he has good news. He gestures for them to follow him to Jaejoong's room, and Yunho can't help the smile that breaks across his face when he walks in and discovers his friend, in human form, eyes open, waving at them and croaking out a small 'hi.' 

Yunho rushes to his side immediately, more relieved that he's ever felt in his life. "Oh my god, Jae. You're ok!" He grabs for Jaejoong's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Junsu appears behind him, giving an explanation. "Now, don't tire him out too much, ok? He can't move much yet, but as you can see, he's coherent. He'll still need probably another half day or so to completely heal. He just wanted to say hello and show you that he's alright." Yunho nods, still grinning like an idiot. "I'm so glad. Rest up, Jae, ok?" 

Jaejoong responds with a little nod, shifting back into his wolf form to speed the healing process, his eyes closing again. Changmin gives his hand a squeeze, and Yunho turns to him with a smile, no words needed. They've survived the hell, and come out the victors, and with no casualties to boot. And they now have the confidence to face whatever else might befall them, which is a hell of a lot more than what they had before. 

More importantly, they have each other, and in Yunho's opinion, that's more than enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several weeks go by, fairly uneventfully, which is a blessing. The Northern clans have long returned to their homes near the border; fond farewells were exchanged, as well as details on where to find them and how to contact them, as Jeong-su has promised to help any time. Yunho in turn made the same promise, and thus, they gained permanent allies. There's been no word from those left alive in Minho's clan, which is yet another blessing. As the saying goes, so far, so good.

Changmin is actually starting to show now, to his great abhorrence, and to Yunho's great delight. Actually, delight is probably an understatement, as in fact Yunho is  _ecstatic._ Changmin thinks he looks like some kind of monster, while Yunho thinks he looks like some kind of angel, cute little belly sticking out, glowing features, thick, luxurious hair. Changmin has still been able to work, for the time being at least, he's just been very careful about the clothing he wears. They've made arrangements for medical leave for when it begins to get difficult to hide, thanks to a were doctor that Junsu was able to get in contact with. There's certainly an advantage to having others of their kind in all fields, and the good doctor was able to come up with some kind of crazy diagnosis that the company actually bought, and therefore approved the leave. 

Things have gone fairly smoothly so far, but the mood swings and morning sickness have been a bit interesting to deal with...Yunho's had a few miscellaneous objects thrown at him, he's had to keep the fridge stocked with various types of raw meats because he never knows what his lover will get a craving for, hell he even asked for  _potato chips_ of all things one night, and for someone who was born wolf, that's pretty unusual. But all in all, he's loving it. Particularly the times when Changmin is in a more  _favorable_ mood, which typically results in hours of back-to-back lovemaking sessions, sometimes bordering on tantric.

Again, Yunho is a happy man.

The other huge blessing was Jaejoong. Much to everyone's surprise, he healed very quickly, and within a matter of a few days, was up and about again. According to Yoochun, who had studied the wound the most, the blow had in fact hit Jaejoong's heart, but such a small portion was grazed that nothing vital was damaged, and he was able to recover fully. He dodged a bullet, so to speak, and for the past couple of weeks, the man has been back to his usual, charming (kind of) self. Which has mostly involved drilling Yunho for details on his transformation in an attempt to piece that together, being extremely motherly and doting on Changmin at every turn, and sharing his surprsing amount of knowledge about were pups to just about any of them within earshot. 

Since the threat has gone, Changmin and Yunho are back in their apartment, but they're at Jaejoong's so often that they might as well still live there. It's a Friday night, and they're having their now weekly gatherings to catch up and just relax with each other. Yunho has taken a break to go outside on the balcony and have a smoke, and Jaejoong tiptoes out beside him. Yunho chuckles, looking up at his dear friend. "Why does this feel like deja-vu all of a sudden?"

Jaejoong chuckles, a glimmer of mischief in his eye. "Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm about to talk about the same thing I did the last time I met you out here like this?" Yunho sighs at that, taking a final drag of his cigarette before snuffing it out, agitated. "Enough of my heritage, man. You're never going to figure it out, or why I did that crazy transformation. Or if they're even related. Clearly I'm just a freak show or something."

Jaejoong shakes his head adamantly. "You're not, bro. Not at all." He sighs a little, scratching the back of his head, unsure how you'll take the next bit of information. "I did a little more research. There's mythology out there relating to what happened to you. The Russian name for the form you took on is "bercer," or Berserker. It's hard as hell to find information on, but there are a few whisperings and reports that  I was able to track down." Yunho's eyes widen, now suddenly very interested in this conversation. "Were you able to find out what causes it? Why it happened?"

Jaejoong leans on the railing, supporting himself on his elbows as he looks up at his friend. "From what I've been able to find, it seems it's brought on by extreme desperation. When the alpha knows they're out of options, it's a last-ditch effort. The body just takes over." Yunho considers that, nodding as it makes complete sense. "Ok, well that's fine. But why can  _I_ do it? Changmin had never heard of or seen such a thing, and he was born wolf. Clearly this berserker thing is rare and not all alphas are capable of it."

Jaejoong nods, agreeing. "That's where it gets a little fishy. I wasn't able to find out anything on that, but, if I were to wager an educated guess, I'd say that yes, it does have something to do with your bloodline. And the only way you're going to get answers to all these questions is if you go back to Russia and confront them head-on." 

Yunho scratches his head at that, even more agitated now than he was before. "I can't just pack up and leave, Jae. Changmin is getting more and more pregnant by the day, and I certainly won't leave him." Jaejoong nods, "I understand, and I can't blame you. But you're going to have a hell of a time getting away once the pups are born. And this is something you need to get to the bottom of." 

"Well, I'll just come with then."

A new voice interrupts, and both heads turn to look at Changmin, who's just poked his head out between the balcony doors. Yunho immediately shakes his head adamantly, expression shocked. "No,no,no,no love. I don't think so. Not pregnant, this could be really dangerous, do you honestly think I'd put you in harm's way like that again?"

Changmin gives him a deadpan look, mind clearly made up. "I don't care. You're not going alone, that's for sure. I'm not going to sit at home and worry about you. Besides, Jaejoong can come with. He'll help protect me." Changmin nods, all so certain, and Jaejoong just stands there looking incredulous. "Hey, wait a minute. Since when did I volunteer for this? This is Yunho's problem, not mine, and I'd really like to not almost die again."

Changmin just looks at Jaejoong, blinking frequently, a rather sad look on his face. Jaejoong sighs. 

"Son of a bitch. Fine, I'll go. I hate both of you."

Yunho butts in, still adamant, looking at his lover. "I never even said it was ok for you to come and now you're assuming you can drag Jaejoong in, too? I'm not risking your health and the health of our babies, Changmin. I'm not. Period."

"And  _I'm_ not letting you leave without me. Period. Not to a whole other country, I'll sit over here and worry myself sick and lose the pups due to stress, is that what you want?" Changmin retorts, eyes wide and nostrils flaring with indignation. Yunho heaves a sigh, longer and heavier than Jaejoong's, and shakes his head. "There's never any sense arguing with you, is there."

Changmin nods, feeling rather triumphant. “Nope. Isn’t. So, now that we have that all settled, when do we leave?” He looks speculatively at the other two, who in turn just look at each other, sighing in unison.

Yunho finally pipes up, after several seconds of disbelief-filled silence.

“I’ll talk with the boss tomorrow about taking a vacation….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plane ride to Moscow was long, to say the least. Fortunately, Yunho had garnered enough paid time off to take this little trip, but he's only got a week before he has to be back. Hoping that they could get to the bottom of this mess in that amount of time, the three had set off. Jaejoong had made all of the travel arrangements, gotten out of work himself, and plotted out a basic plan. Yunho gave him all the information he could remember from his previous trip, and they arrived with a combination of those memories and Jaejoong's research, praying it would be enough to get them somewhere. They arrive at the hotel, deciding to stay in the city. Taking into consideration the off-chance that someone will recognize Yunho and try to tail them, they figured that the city would provide a bit more cover. 

They are in separate rooms upon Jaejoong's insistence; apparently he had heard quite enough of their, as Jaejoong so eloquently put it, "wild monkey sex," that he wanted to make sure he didn't have to be subjected to that again. Upon arriving in their rooms, the three pretty much collapse, wanting to get caught up on sleep so that the jetlag doesn't mar their ability to think and search in the morning. The goal is to start by retracing Yunho's steps, find the old woman and see what they can learn from there. They're prepared for anything, as clearly this isn't just some wayward gypsy they're dealing with. Nor do they know who's she's in league with, other than the obvious: some really powerful, really ancient weres. 

But right now, none of that matters, at least not to Changmin and Yunho. Jaejoong is passed out asleep down the hall, while the two lovers lie curled in each other's arms. Yunho is spooned up behind his mate, a hand curled possessively around his belly, stroking the distended flesh like it's the most precious thing in the world. Which, what it contains absolutely is, in Yunho's mind. Both of them push all thoughts of tomorrow from their minds, content to simply exchange loving kisses, Changmin's fingers curled behind Yunho's neck, playing with the short hairs at the base of it. 

When the kiss gently breaks, Yunho sighs, doing his best to smile. "I love you baby. Everything is going to be ok."

Changmin smiles back, nodding. "I know. You'll keep us safe, you always do. I trust you, my alpha." 

Those words warm Yunho's heart more than he can put in words, knowing that despite everything they've been through, he's earned and kept this beautiful creature's trust. That alone is enough to give him the strength to get through tomorrow, to face any truths, not matter how frightening they may be. 


	7. Answers and More Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alright then, you know what? Lay it on me. Tell me everything you know. It can't get any weirder, right?"
> 
> ..."Right...?"

Yunho blinks awake slowly, feeling warmth flood over his skin. There's a pleasant weight pressing against him, and as his sleep-addled brain slowly wakes up, he realizes that it's Changmin. The first thing registering in his vision is the messy tumble of wavy hair right in front of his face, and he smiles. Just beyond the crown of his lover's head he can make out the time on the alarm clock: A little before 7. Jaejoong had said yesterday that he wanted to head out around 8:30, which gives Yunho more than enough time to cuddle and love on his partner before they have to get up and moving. Changmin appears to still be sound asleep, but that's simple enough to fix. 

Yunho's arm is still wrapped around his lover's waist, and he splays his fingers wide, running them gently over the younger man's stomach. He leans in, pressing gentle kisses along the curve of Changmin's neck, trying to gently bring him to wakefulness. Changmin stirs a little, but not much, and makes a cute little grumbly noise. Yunho mouths along the shell of his ear, whispering soft encouragements. "Wake up, baby..." He coos, and Changmin shifts ever so slightly, head shaking slightly from side to side. "Mm-mm." He insists, and Yunho finds his child-like stubbornness to be adorable. He nuzzles him, insistent. "Come on...please? We have to get up soon and I want to spend as much time as possible kissing you beforehand."

Changmin's eyelids flutter open with a soft chuckle, knowing if he doesn't wake up, Yunho will just bug the hell out of him until he does anyway. "Mm...too early..." He gasps suddenly, feeling the all too familiar jolt of arousal slam through him, realizing that he's woken up rock hard again. This isn't entirely unusual, of course, but the accompanying hormones he blames completely on the pregnancy. It's ridiculous, really. Sometimes he's woken Yunho up by literally jumping him, sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, body completely on fire. It takes absolutely nothing to get him riled up anymore, and there's not a damn thing he can do about it. Slick starts to accumulate between his legs, and Yunho gets hit with the scent, entire body going rigid. "Baby....you ok?"

Changmin whimpers, shaking his head again. "No....fuck, I'm sorry. I'm sure this is getting annoying." Yunho snorts incredulously. "Are you kidding right now?" He chuckles, amused at the very thought. "I will never be upset about keeping you satisfied, love. Never ever." He nips at his lover's neck, shifting a bit so that he's right up against the younger. He lifts Changmin's leg, bending at the knee, opening him up to make it easier for him to enter. Changmin gasps again, trembling, the need growing stronger. "Alpha please...I need it..." He begs softly, voice rough with desire. Yunho shushes him, stroking himself quickly to full hardness before lining himself up, nudging at his lover's hole. "I know...I know..." He coos, sliding in with complete ease, thanks to the fact that Changmin is already dripping.

Yunho holds Changmin's leg up, cupping under his thigh as he starts to move, keeping him positioned to get the best angle. Changmin slips a hand behind to loop around the back of his lover's neck, fingers tangling in his hair as the pleasure starts to build inside him. "God..." he chokes out, jaw dropping and eyelids fluttering as his hormones kick into overdrive. He hates how needy he gets sometimes, but on the other hand, Yunho seems to be loving it, and if it makes his alpha happy, he's happy, too. "You feel so good, baby..." Yunho rasps in his ear, picking up his pace a little with long, deep strokes. Changmin shakes like a leaf, so sensitive, his nerve endings seeming to all light up at once. He pushes himself back onto Yunho, deepening the stretch and heightening his pleasure. 

Suddenly, an entirely new sensation hits him, quite literally, in the gut. He gasps, going completely still, wondering if what just happened actually happened. Yunho notices, becoming concerned, and slows his movements to a stop. "What is it? Are you ok?" Changmin shushes him, then it happens again. It feels kind of like if something was gurgling around in his stomach, but stronger. Like a tiny little fist just punched at him from the inside. And then it dawns on him, that that's probably exactly what happened. "Yunho!" Sex forgotten for just a moment, Changmin grabs his lover's hand, pulling it around and pressing it against his stomach. "The pups are moving. I felt them, I can feel them, Yunho!" 

Yunho lights up, pressing his hand down harder, and feels a little pop against his palm, seeing Changmin's stomach jump. "Oh my god! Oh my god, I feel them, too!" Tears form in the alpha's eyes, overcome with the sudden emotion of feeling his children move inside his partner for the first time. Changmin chuckles, his own eyes getting watery. "We must have gotten them excited. Wow...." Yunho rubs Changmin's stomach for a few moments, then notices that his lover is still hard as a rock, and feels him gently clenching around him, realizing that they were up until this miraculous moment otherwise engaged in something rather important. Pulling out gently, he rolls Changmin onto his back, spreading his legs wide and pushing back in, taking his lover by surprise. "Sorry...thought we ought to finish what we started..."

Changmin smiles. "Yea. Probably should get used to this, huh." Yunho leans over him, careful not too lay on his belly too much, capturing his lips passionately as he begins to pick up speed. "I love you so much..." he breathes against Changmin's lips, and the younger groans his response, arms looping around Yunho's neck. It's a blissful blur after that, sensation and emotions taking over. Everything feels so good for both of them, better than it ever has, better than anything either has ever experienced. And when they finally succumb, they do so together, breathless and filled with unspeakable joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A loud knock interrupts the blissful aftereffects for Yunho and Changmin, followed by a stern warning.

"Alright you horny shits, time to get up!" Jaejoong yells through the door, and Changmin looks towards his lover, brow quirked. "Isn't he like four rooms down? How does he know we were..." Yunho just laughs, eyes still lit up from blissful happiness. "I'm pretty sure he's just assuming. But you never know. Your scent gets kind of overpowering at times, maybe he smells you." Changmin shoves him, muttering a small annoyed 'shut up' before moving into a seated position at the edge of the bed. "He's right though, we should probably get moving." Strong arms wrap around him, and Yunho's chin lands on his shoulder. "I know. And I was kidding, by the way. I love your horny smell."

Changmin snorts, rolling his eyes, shoving Yunho off of him. "You are so gross. Why do I love you..." He grins nonetheless. Yunho shrugs, rolling off the bed to search for fresh clothes, shrugging. "Dunno. Must be my sexual prowess." He turns over his shoulder, tongue sticking out. Changmin laughs, nodding. "Yea. That must be it." He winks, standing himself and heading over to his suitcase, pulling out his outfit for the day.

Once they're both dressed, clean, and presentable, they head out of the room to join a rather agitated Jaejoong, who is in full mother mode as usual. They grab some breakfast on their way out of the hotel, knowing they ought to get some food on their stomach, as they have no idea whatsoever what today will bring. Luckily, they'd had enough sense to rent a car when they'd landed in Moscow, and Yunho does his best to remember where he ended up the last time he was here, relying on his instincts mostly to get them back to the village where all this madness began. 

After about an hour or so, Yunho finds himself back in the marketplace, and he can't help the slightly nauseous feeling that begins to take over. It's a heavy feeling, and he can tell that whatever he's about to find out will be life-altering. As if becoming a werewolf wasn't life-altering enough to begin with. He can't shake the feeling as the three of them search through the stalls, it only gradually increases. Then finally, as they arrive at the end of a row of vendors, Yunho sees her.

The old woman that made him drink that shit. He'll never forget the taste of it...borderline rancid, strongly alcoholic, with a smell that made his stomach roll. In fact, it's rolling around right now from just thinking about it alone. He turns to whisper to the other two. "That's her." Jaejoong comes closer, speaking back in a low tone. "Are you absolutely certain?" Changmin clings to Yunho from behind, feeling suddenly rather nervous himself. Yunho nods. He'd know that face anywhere.

The three approach, and the woman's eyes widen as she sees Yunho, as if she recognizes him instantly. Which, could very well be the case. She nods politely, and a tall, muscular man appears from behind a curtain just past where she is standing, and he is the one who address them. "Hello there, can we help you?" The old woman turns to him and whispers something to him emphatically in Russian, and the man's face looks slightly shocked for a moment. He turns back to them. "Ah, well, why don't you three come with me and we'll have a chat, hmm?"

Jaejoong steps up, rather put off. "Just who the hell are you? How do you expect us to follow you when we know nothing about you or how you seem to know who  _we_  are, huh?" Changmin still clings to Yunho, now downright frightened. He's far from the only home he's ever known, and this whole situation is strange all around. The old woman looks at him, and it's almost as if she sees into him. She looks at his belly immediately, then looks back up, offering a soft, understanding smile. The man speaks again, and Changmin's attention is immediately averted to him.

"Well, I don't know who  _you_ are," he indicates Jaejoong, "but I damn sure know who  _he_ is." He points to Yunho, "and frankly, that's all I  _need_ to know. Now if you'd like to find out more, which is I assume why you're here, then I suggest you do as I've asked." Jaejoong sighs, still rather miffed with the whole situation, but one pointed look from Yunho shuts him up fairly quickly. Yunho speaks up, trying to calm everyone down and keep things from escalating. "This is what we're here for, isn't it?" He looks to the stranger and gives a nod. "We'll follow. But do anything to cause harm to any one of us and I promise you, you'll regret it." The man chuckles. "I'm not nearly stupid enough to pick a fight with you, Your Highness. I know damn well I'd lose. Now come." He turns away, heading down an alley just behind the stand, and Yunho, Jaejoong, and Changmin move quickly to follow, making sure there's no one tailing them.

The man stops about halfway down the dark alley, which seems to be a dead end. The man turns to them with a smirk, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, grabbing a smoke and lighting it, taking a slow drag before speaking. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering who I am." He lets out the smoke he'd been holding in in a slow exhale. "But unfortunately, for now, you're gonna have to keep wondering." He chuckles. "All things in due time. What I  _will_ tell you is what I imagine you came here to find out, what the hell is up with him." He points to Yunho. "Or at least tell you where you can go to get said information."

"Wow, you sound really fucking helpful.." Jaejoong mutters bitterly, earning him a nudge from his alpha. The mystery man chuckles, looking at Jaejoong. "You're a little spitfire, aren't you....I dig that." Yunho covers his mouth, trying not to laugh, and Jaejoong just bores holes into the newcomer with his eyes. "Anyway..." the man continues. "You'll find out all the answers to your questions eventually, I assure you. So, why don't we start by you telling me what you know." He looks pointedly at Yunho. "Or what you think you know."

Changmin grabs for Yunho's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Yunho swallows, then speaks. "Well....Jaejoong seems to think I'm part of a royal bloodline of some sort. And we've considered the possibility that that may have something to do with the unique abilities I seem to have." He sighs, continuing. "What I want to know is how the hell you guys knew I was royalty. I assume that's why I was given the drink that started the process?" The man chuckles, taking another drag on his cigarette before replying. "It seems you've learned much these past few months. That's good."

The man turns his gaze towards Changmin, nodding once again. "I also see you've located a mate.  _And_ knocked him up. Brilliant." He gives a thumbs up, grinning. "The bloodline has to be preserved. That is excellent indeed." Yunho's eyebrows raise inquisitively. "So it appears we're on the right track so far, then." The man nods, taking another slow drag and puffing it right back out. "You are. And you mentioned that you've discovered some of your special abilities?" Jaejoong huffs, annoyed that they don't appear to be getting any actual answers, but Yunho ignores it, knowing this man is the only way they're going to find out anything and is for now content to humor him. "Well, one I believe. I assume there are more, then?"

The man chuckles, nodding. "Oh yes. You'll discover them all eventually. They come in quite handy I'd imagine. Now.." He begins, walking a little closer to the three of them. "I know you're still confused. But there's a place I'd like to take you that I think would shed some light on a few things, better than I could explain in words. You down?" Yunho looks and Jaejoong and Changmin, searching their faces for answers, from which he gets nothing, really. So, it's up to him. He turns to the man and nods. "Sure. Let's go."

The stranger nods. "Good. You got a car?....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoochun and Junsu are relaxing at the apartment, cuddled up on the couch watching TV after a long day at work. Their relationship is a complicated one, to be sure. Junsu is obviously an omega, just like Changmin, whereas Yoochun and Jaejoong both share a beta rank. While it's not completely unheard of for a beta and an omega to date, it's a hard road, and often frowned upon by alphas. Betas typically mate with other betas, and only an alpha can impregnate an omega. More importantly, if a beta is with an omega and an alpha comes along that wants that omega....the beta has no choice but to step aside. Well, of course there's always a choice, but it's simply not done. Not unless said beta wants their ass handed to them on a platter. These two keep things as casual as they can, having no real expectations. They're best friends, sometimes more than that, and they're there for each other, that's all that really matters. Yoochun knows better than to get protective or possessive of Junsu...there's no point. He's sexy and charming, and one day, an alpha will claim him. It's just the way things are.

Since the other three are away, it's their job to keep the apartment decent, or so they've been ordered by Jaejoong, which isn't really that hard to manage. They take turns cooking, but tonight both were lazy and just decided to order in. Everything seems to be in order, nothing exciting happening, they Yoochun idly wonders have the other three are faring. Have they come any closer to discovering what's up with Yunho? Have they faced anything dangerous? It's been a few hours since Jaejoong texted, so there is a bit of concern, but Yoochun tries to dismiss it. If there were an emergency, Jae would find a way to let him know, it's just how he is. Jaejoong also plays an interesting role in their trio.....honestly, they're closer than three normal friends ought to be. They've all shared beds, they've all messed around, it's just the nature of their relationship. But there's something special with Junsu for Yoochun in particular....he's not sure why. Had fate worked a bit differently, perhaps he would have mated with Jaejoong...it'd certainly be an easier path. But the connection just wasn't there. Unfortunately, even when he goes all the way with Junsu, nothing happens. There's no lasting supernatural bond. It's only for the pleasure of it, the bond only lasts in their hearts.

The mating bond shouldn't be something that's chosen or forced (It can be, but it shouldn't)....you should just know it in your bones. Know that they're the one. Weres can have sex with each other without it being a mating, the claim only happens when the alpha's teeth sink into the neck of the omega, siphoning a piece of the omega into the alpha's body, and vice versa. They become one, quite literally, in every sense. That's something that can never happen for Yoochun and Junsu. Part of that idea breaks Yoochun's heart still, but it's a fact he'd accepted long ago. And so, they enjoy what they have for what it is, while they have it. Though Yoochun thinks, if things were a little different.....he'd mate with Junsu. 

 Yoochun jerks as he hears Junsu's phone go off, wondering who on earth would be calling. Jaejoong usually calls his phone, not Su's, so this is highly unusual. Junsu sits up, answering in a cheerful tone. "Hello?"

Much to Junsu's surprise, it's Jeong-su on the other line. "Hey. I'm afraid I have bad news." Yoochun turns to watch the conversation, as he can feel Junsu tensing up next to him, knowing that whatever is being talked about is not something positive. "What's up?" Junsu asks, half afraid to hear the answer. There's a sigh on the other end, and Jeong-su begins to respond. "I'm afraid there's movement in Minho's clan. We think one of the surviving alphas is trying to take over and come after you guys for revenge." Junsu sighs, exasperated. "What are they insane? Or just gluttons for punishment? Did they not hear how their fearless leader died? And how many alphas are in that damn thing, anyway?" Jeong-su chuckles. "It's a big pack. And you know as well as I that we don't pick what rank we're born with." Junsu sighs, and Jeong-su continues. "As far as them being insane...that's legitimately possible. They were assholes under Siwon's rule, and Minho's, I didn't expect them to stop being assholes all of a sudden." Junsu nods, scratching his head. "So what do we do? Chun and I might not be able to handle these guys ourselves. If they do something while the others are still in Russia..."

Yoochun's face scrunches in concern, wondering what the hell is going on, but doesn't interrupt. Jeong-su sighs audibly on the other end of the line, continuing. "We'll head your way, just to be safe. Jonghyun and Jinki are the ones that informed us that the pack was re-forming and plotting. How they found out, I've no idea. Those two are ninjas I swear." He chuckles. "Alright, please do." Junsu urges, trying not to panic. "We're coming. Just hang tight you two, ok? And whatever you do, don't alarm Jaejoong and the others until we know for sure what's happening." Junsu nods. "Fair enough. Talk to you soon."

"Later." Jeong-su hangs up, and Yoochun gives Junsu a 'spill it' look. Junsu slumps onto Yoochun's shoulder, sighing heavily. "Someone in the Minho pack is trying to reform shit and come after us." Yoochun's eyes widen, and he joins in the sighing party. "For fuck's sake. These shits never learn." Junsu shakes his head. "Nope. Jeong-su and the others are heading our way just to be safe. No sense freaking Jae out unless we need to." Yoochun nods, understanding fully. "Alright. Well, we better rest up then. Never know when the dumbass brigade will show up." Junsu nods, stretching as he stands up and heads back toward the bedroom. 

They sleep in each other's arms, both secretly hoping that the northern packs hurry the hell up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man instructs them where to drive to, and they end up in an even more remote location, which admittedly makes Yunho uneasy. This man seems to have knowledge, yes, but his answers are dodgy and there's of course the fact that they don't know who the hell he is. Granted, Yunho's fairly certain he can take him if need be, but still. They're led off road to what appears to be an abandoned village, parts of it completely in ruins. The sight is unnerving, even more so once they've parked and the stranger takes them into the center of it, to what appears to be a downtrodden town square of some kind. The man goes to the fountain in the center and pushes a few of the stones, in what appears to be some kind of pattern, and a large opening appears in the side of it, with stairs leading downward, to what, Yunho has no idea. "Jesus.." Jaejoong mutters as they descend, "this is straight out of a movie, I swear. Secret passageways? Really?" The man chuckles, continuing to lead them down. "The royal family of our kind were quite clever people. As well as a bit on the dramatic side, admittedly." 

Jaejoong rolls his eyes, muttering a soft 'no shit, sherlock' but following along nonetheless. Yunho holds both of Changmin's hands and helps him descend, wanting to ensure his and his pups' safety, as a few of the stairs look a little rough. Thankfully, the way down isn't a long one, and they alight on the ground floor in what appears to be some kind of crypt, if Yunho were to guess. It looks fairly well preserved, but rather dusty and plain. He's no clue why they've been brought here, and he's praying to God it's not some kind of ambush. Their snarky stranger leads them to a far wall, pulling at a torch in the wall next to where a mummified body is lying. The wall recedes, revealing a large inner room, one that looks nothing like the one they're currently still standing in. "And now we're in Indiana Jones, fantastic..." Jaejoong mutters again, sarcasm dripping from his tone. The man chuckles, seeming to be greatly amused by Jaejoong for some unknown reason. 

Yunho and Changmin, however, are too busy being in shock. The room that was just revealed is not just large, it's luxurious and appears to be made from god knows how many different expensive materials, some of it gold, from the looks of it. Whoever died here was rich beyond words, apparently. They step inside, still completely awed. The unnamed man can tell they're impressed, and deems now as good a time as any to reveal the reson they're here in the first place. "Impressive isn't it?" He chuckles, taking in the expressions of the trio in front of him. "This, Yunho," he begins, "is the crypt of the were royal family. Your bloodline." Yunho's eyes widen in shock, and he cocks a brow, realizing that this is first the man has called him directly by his name. In fact, he doesn't recall  _telling_ the man his name in the first place. Sensing his confusion, the man replies. "And yes, of course I know your name. I know a great deal about you, it's my job." 

Changmin blinks, speaking up for the first time since they've gone on with this crazy stranger. "So wait, they're all dead? Or..."

The man nods, his expression amused. "Yep. Every last one of them. You're the last one, Yunho." 

Yunho feels a bit like he's just gotten hit with a ton of bricks. So, not only is he a member of some royal bloodline that comprised the first ever werewolves, supposedly has a bunch of special abilities, but he's also the last of his kind. 

He stops for a moment, at a loss for words. A thousand questions flurry in his head. What happened to the rest of his bloodline? Werewolves aren't easy to kill as it is, particularly ones with the abilities he supposedly has. Yunho can't even imagine. Surely they didn't just die from "old age." Was it purposeful? Were they exterminated? To what purpose? The options are endless.

He halfway wonders if there are any other surprises headed his way, because it's bad enough that everything he thought he knew about his life was a lie. He's not entirely sure what more he can handle. Partially hysterically, he laughs, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"Alright then, you know what? Lay it on me. Tell me everything you know. It can't get any weirder, right?"

..."Right...?"


	8. The Return of the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin smiles at that, and they are all silent for a few moments, the heavy truths washing over them.
> 
> The silence is broken by Jaejoong's phone going off.
> 
> "Guys, we may have a bit of a situation..."

The stranger laughs, shaking his head. "That's where you'd be wrong, my friend." He sighs, taking a fond look around at the crypt, in such a way that gives the impression he's rather familiar with it, that it's a place of importance to him. "Well, I suppose it's time I introduced myself, then. I didn't want to speak of these things until we reached solace here. There's what you could call a.." He gestures animatedly, "spell of protection around the place. Nothing can escape these walls. Not unless you want it to, of course." 

Yunho, Changmin, and Jaejoong just kind of stare at the man, waiting anxiously for him to continue. "I'm sure you've been wondering, on top of everything else, why I appear as you do." Jaejoong raises a brow, piping up. "By 'as we do,' I'm assuming you mean Asian?" The stranger chuckles, nodding. "Indeed. A Korean man hanging around the outskirts of Moscow with an old Russian woman no doubt seems strange." He sits on a small bench, his posture relaxing a bit as he begins to speak. "In fact, I'm sure the fact that you," he gestures towards Yunho, "are Korean and yet your family has origins in Russia also seems strange. But I digress." He licks his lips. "My name is Minwoo. I have been the guardian of the royal family for centuries. And as you can see," he makes a sweeping gesture around the crypt, "I've done a rather poor job." Jaejoong snorts, and Yunho nudges him for being rude.

Minwoo just shakes his head, and continues. "As you might imagine, the royal family was persecuted for centuries. Many thought that they could inherit their powers by killing them, many werekind thought it was unfair that only the royals had the abilities that they did, and so, war raged constantly." Yunho finds a bench himself, lowering Changmin down next to him so they can relax while they listen. "I won't give you a full history because that would take days, and be rather boring, to be honest." He chuckles for a moment. "Long story short, killing a royal is hard, but not impossible. A few decades ago, a large uprising occurred, several strong packs had gathered together and managed to find out the royal family's weakness. The family fled here to Russia for protection and to preserve the line." 

Yunho holds a hand up to stop Minwoo, needing more explanation. "Why Russia in particular?" Minwoo nods. "I had a feeling you'd ask that." He winks slyly. "The packs here had strong loyalties to the royal family, and offered to help keep them safe. Also, Eastern Europeans in general tend to be more accepting and in touch with mythology and folklore, it's a better environment for our kind." Yunho nods, supposing that makes sense enough. He grabs Changmin's hand, giving it a squeeze. "The royals origins, as you might imagine, were in Asia, and had spread all over the world. However, by the time I'm referring to, what was left of them had been cornered here. We tried everything, but it wasn't enough."

Minwoo strokes his chin, continuing the gruesome tale. "The enemy packs were strong and good strategists. They used some in wolf form to attack, while some remained in their human forms to fire these weapons they'd fashioned to finish the job. As I'm sure you know, heart wounds are the most difficult to heal." Minwoo sighs, memories flooding him. "The guns had bullets that were designed to stay stuck in the heart and keep the wound open, we couldn't remove them, and the royals couldn't heal themselves. There was nothing we could do. Those bastards exterminated the royal family one by one." 

Jaejoong feels a sudden urge to comfort the man, and he's not sure why, but he's not one to deny his urges. He moves over to sit by Minwoo and offer a friendly pat to his shoulder, which earns him a soft smile from the guardian. Minwoo turns his attention to Yunho, continuing his tale. "Fortunately, we were able to achieve one thing. Our Prince and Princess had a son that we were able to smuggle to safety." He points to Yunho. "That'd be you." Changmin links his fingers with Yunho's, knowing this might be hard to hear. "We told no one what we'd done with you. Found you a family to take you, hid you away, left no trace. In fact, I personally burned the address and names so that over time even  _I_ didn't remember where I'd left you. I knew that eventually you'd make your way back to Russia, somehow, and that we could awaken you." 

Yunho digests everything he'd just heard, trying desperately to piece all of this madness together. "So...how did you know it was me? How did you know the drink would work on me?" Minwoo chuckles softly, nodding. "That was easy. Number one, I recognized your scent, I'd know the scent of a royal anywhere. Number two, that old woman? She's a medium. She works for me, and she sensed your coming was immiment. We were already prepared." He smiles. "As to how we knew the drink would work? The gene skips a generation. We got lucky in the sense that you were born of the dormant one. Otherwise, handing you to a human family would have been disaster once you came of age, as you can imagine, I'm sure." Yunho nods, grateful for their luck in that regard.  

"So, you were there the day I came then?" Yunho asks, to which Minwoo nods. "I was, you just didn't see me. I wasn't ready to reveal myself to you quite yet, nor did I want to put you in any type of danger. Should your existence become common knowledge, your life would be at definite risk." Changmin squeezes Yunho's hand, suddenly more afraid than ever. "Shit..." Yunho sighs, remembering something. "It may be too late. I used my power in a fight, it's possible someone in Siwon's pack already knows." Jaejoong chimes in from his spot beside Minwoo. "Wait a minute, aren't they all dead?" Yunho shrugs, "What came after us are dead, yes. But I'm doubtful that that was the whole pack." Jaejoong nods. "True, but you can't spread rumors if you're dead, and you can't report back to the pack, either." Yunho chuckles at that. "Ah, good point. Guess I'm paranoid now..."

Minwoo interjects. "Pardon my interruption, but did I hear you correctly? Did you say Siwon?"

Yunho nods. "Yea. Why?"

Minwoo licks his lips, considering. "Siwon was one of the ones that assisted in the attack on the royals. In fact, he killed the Prince himself. Your father."

Yunho shudders, anger coursing through him. "Well, it's a good thing I killed that bastard, then..." He partially growls, feeling even more loathing for that man than he already did. 

His eyes widen, and he turns to his other half, suddenly curious. "Changmin, did you ever hear about any of this?"

Changmin swallows, nodding. "I heard the tales when I was young, but I didn't really understand them until now. This happened before Siwon was made head of the pack, before the raid that killed my parents." Tears form in his eyes as he looks up at his alpha. "I'm sorry, baby. I had no idea my pack was responsible for the death of your family, I-" Yunho presses a finger to the younger's lips, silencing him. "Nonsense. You had nothing to do with it, and I don't blame you. You've nothing to apologize for." 

Minwoo offers a smile as well. "You're doing the royal family a great service, Changmin. By bearing Yunho's children, you will more than make up for the wrongdoings of your pack, believe me. I can't thank you enough."

Changmin smiles at that, and they are all silent for a few moments, the heavy truths washing over them.

The silence is broken by Jaejoong's phone going off.

"Guys, we may have a bit of a situation..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Jaejoong had gotten done speaking with Yoochun, he relayed the information to the others, that what's left of Siwon's pack are on the move. Needless to say, no one took the news well.

"Changmin," Yunho says in earnest, "Do you think we're safe? Is there any possible way someone in that pack might have figured out who I am?" After learning everything that Minwoo had to tell them, Yunho now realizes the importance of keeping himself safe. If anyone were to discover his secret, they'd never live in peace.

Changmin thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "I don't think so. The ones that were involved were all older, and of course, thanks to you, now dead. They might have recognized your ability, but like Jaejoong said, there's no way the news could have traveled." Yunho exhales heavily, nodding. "Dead men tell no tales. Well, thank God for that. The last thing they need is knowledge that I'm the last of my kind." 

Minwoo nods his agreement. "Indeed. Your first priority at all times should be keeping yourself safe, and keeping your pups safe." He gestures towards Changmin's distended belly. He tilts his head, thoughtful. "The more I think about it, the more I think I should come back with you." Jaejoong cocks a brow at that, and Yunho and Changmin both look interested as well. "I'd been staying here to guard this crypt and what's left of the family heirlooms and money," Minwoo continues, "but I think my services would be much better utilized protecting you all. Especially on the off chance that there  _is_ someone left in that pack that's pieced together your heritage. I can't take the risk of anything happening to you." He looks pointedly at Yunho.

Yunho swallows, nodding. "Well, we'd certainly accept all the help we can get. And from the sounds of it, we need to get back as soon as possible." Jaejoong nods. "I trust Jeong-su to keep things under control for awhile at least, but yea." 

Minwoo stands up, dusting off his lap. "Alright then. Let's do this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Yoochun and Junsu have finished breakfast and are relaxing a bit. It's another instance of playing the waiting game, as the northern packs are due to arrive sometime in the afternoon, and it's like time can't go by fast enough. Suddenly, Junsu's phone goes off in his pocket, and he sees Jeong-su's name light up his screen. Figuring that it's probably important, he answers immediately. 

"Hey, Su. Can I talk to you for a moment? Preferably alone?"

Junsu makes a gesture to Yoochun that indicates he'll be right back, and rises to head down the hallway and into the bathroom, the most private place he can access. "Sure, what's up?"

Jeong-Su sighs at the other end of the line. "Look, I know you're still a bit young, but you ought to start thinking about finding a mate. I can imagine your heats have been hell, am I right?"

Junsu sighs, running fingers through his hair. "Yea. Yoochun gets me through them, but..." He chews at his lip. "They're getting worse."

Jeong-su hums. "And they're only going to continue to get worse until you're claimed, you know that, right?" Junsu swallows, heart pounding. "Yea. Yea I know." 

Jeong-su pauses for a moment, then continues. "Look, I know it's not really my place to meddle. But I have a bit of a proposition for you." 

Junsu cocks a brow, suddenly curious. "Oh? And that is?" 

"You know Heechul has the hots for you, I'm fairly certain he made that clear." Jeong-su continues. "And I wanted to ask you to think about it. He's a bit brash at times, but he's a good guy. I trust him with my life, and he's got a strong bloodline. Your offspring would be equally strong." The alpha sighs again. "Just...just think about it, ok?"

Junsu nearly chews a hole through his bottom lip, nodding even though he knows the older man can't see him. "What you say makes sense. I just....I'd hoped it would be like with Yunho and Changmin. Where I just  _knew._ You know?"

"And many times, it is like that, Su. But not always. Some mate for convenience, some mate for power. But one thing's for sure, if you don't take this opportunity, another alpha will claim you. One that might not treat you as well as Heechul would." Junsu fights back tears, knowing what the alpha said is true. "Alright." He consents. "Alright, I'll...I'll think about it, ok?" He breathes shakily.

"That's all I could ask for." Jeong-su promises. "We'll be arriving in a few hours, ok? Sit tight."

"Thank you." Junsu offers, genuinely grateful that the older cares so much. "See you soon." He hangs up the phone, tightness spreading in his chest. He's known for some time that the clock is ticking for him, and everything Jeong-su said are things Junsu already knows. But it doesn't make it any easier to take.

Because there is someone he feels that spark with. Where he  _knows_ they're meant to be. But by some cruel trick of fate, Junsu can't have him. Not permanently, anyway.

With a heavy heart, he drags himself out of the bathroom, doing his best to put on a smile so as not to worry Yoochun, the man he loves more than anything.

"Hey." He greets as he makes his way back to the kitchen. "Jeong-su said they'll be arriving in a few hours and to sit tight." 

Yoochun nods, smiling. "Alright, then. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

Junsu smirks. 

"I can think of a few things..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaejoong, Minwoo, Changmin, and Yunho are on the soonest plane to Seoul that they could grab, having packed in a rush and moved as quickly as possible. Granted, it does seem rather ridiculous to have only been in Moscow for a day or so only to turn right back around, but considering that Yunho was able to find the answers to most of his questions fairly quickly, he supposes it's worth it. As they sit in first class, Yunho spends the majority of the long flight mulling over everything he's been told. It's a lot of information to digest, and in the grand scheme of things, it's amazing how his entire outlook has been changed over such a short period of time. He went from successful businessman to orphaned werewolf royalty what seems practically overnight, and it's a lot to take in.

Yunho wracks his brain, trying to think if, in fact, Minwoo had answered all of the questions he had. He almost thinks he'd covered everything until it hits him like a ton of bricks.

His other abilities.

Just what the fuck are those? And how does he tap into them?

Deciding there's no time like the present, and taking into consideration the fact that their area of the plane is rather deserted, he decides there's no time like the present. When he turns behind him to question Minwoo, however, he gets a small surprise.

Minwoo and Jaejoong are engaged in what appears to be an in-depth conversation, and Yunho doesn't think he's ever seen this look in Jaejoong's eyes before. To top it all off, Jaejoong is giggling.  _Giggling,_ of all things. Who'd have thought? Clearly the playful banter these two had exchanged earlier is slowly developing into a flirtation, and Yunho can't say he's a opposed to that idea. Yunho clears his throat to get their attention, and Jaejoong blinks, cheeks flushing at having been caught. Minwoo smiles, nodding to Yunho. "Yes, your Highness?"

Yunho rolls his eyes. "Oh God, cut it out with the Highness bullshit. It's not neccessary." Minwoo chuckles. "On the contrary, considering that since you're the last living royal of our kind, that makes you my King. I wouldn't dare refer to you otherwise." Yunho shakes his head. "Alright, fine then, Highness it is. Anyway..." He begins, and Minwoo appears to be listening intently. "I wanted to ask about these..." he gestures with a hand, "abilities you mentioned. How many more are there? What are they exactly?"

Minwoo's brows raise. "Ah, yes. Well, each individual is different. I don't know exactly which ones you'll have inherited, but I can tell you what some of the possibilities might be." Yunho shrugs, putting his chin on the headrest on his seat as he talks. "Well, that's better than nothing." Minwoo nods. "Which is the one you've figured out?" Yunho purses his lips. "Jaejoong researched it and we think it's some kind of berserker ability." Minwoo smirks. "Ah, _bercer_ , yes. Your father had that one as well." Yunho can't help the squeeze that grabs at his heart at the mention of the Father he'd never known, but he manages a small nod.

Minwoo exhales deeply, continuing. "Another possibility is being able to commune with certain beings in the spirit world." Yunho tilts his head. "Spirit world?" Minwoo chuckles. "I see you still have much to learn. Our kind has a close relationship with the spirit world. Sometimes certain spritis can guide us and assist us, being able to speak with them can be quite valuable." Yunho nods, considering that. "There's some abilities that are very small," Minwoo gestures with a hand as he speaks, "Amplifying your strength, for instance, as well as others. Defensive abilities, being able to act as a shield. There's even one where, if I recall correctly, you can make yourself have a more magnetic presence. Can be useful when manipulation is in order." Yunho mulls these over in his mind, a question already floating to the surface.

"Alright then. How do I discover these and tap into them?" Yunho asks the obvious question, and Minwoo smirks. "That's the tricky part. Some are discovered through meditation. Some are evoked through extreme emotion. You kind of figure it out as you go." Yunho sighs. He'd been afraid of that. _Why is everything always so complicated?_

Minwoo bites his lip, then continues. "There is one ability, however, that is possibly the most powerful of them all. Now I can't say for certain, but I'd be willing to bet money that you'll obtain it." Yunho cocks a brow, unable to hide his curiousity at those words. "And that would be?" 

"The ability to change a were's rank. In either direction. Raise or lower." 

Jaejoong and Changmin collectively gasp, and Yunho's jaw kind of seems to unhinge.

"You mean, as in if someone were an omega, I could make them a beta? Or if they're a beta, make them an alpha?" Yunho asks, incredulous.

Minwoo nods.

"I didn't think such a thing was possible.." Jaejoong mutters, and Changmin nods his agreement, eyes wide.

"Such is the power of the royal family. You can give, and you can take away. It's an ability I'd advise you to not use lightly."

Yunho nods, still kind of stunned. 

"And on that note," Minwoo continues. "I believe we're about to land." 

"Buckle up, boys. Time to get down to business......"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yunho's mind is in a fog as they walk off the plane. His brain is now processing the new bit of information on top of everything else, and as usual, there seem to be more questions than answers. How does he tap into this ability, anyway? How does he even know for sure if he has it? And if he does and is somehow able to figure out how to use it, how does he make that kind of choice? That's a lot of power to wield, and Yunho's unsure if he's worthy of it. Unfortunately, they've got bigger fish to fry at the moment, and so he tries his best to pull himself out of his manic thoughts.

They arrive back at the apartments, heading upstairs, a familiar overload of scents wafting down the hallway the moment they arrive on the landing. Clearly, the cavalry has already arrived. 

Minwoo's nose wrinkles, and he chuckles a little. "Man, they sure make their presence known, huh.." 

Jaejoong laughs cheerfully beside him, leading them all to the door. "Indeed. But they do their jobs well, so I can't really complain."

As the door opens, they're greeted with a cacauphony of sounds and and bombarded with touches, mostly big hugs or pats or arms slung around shoulders in welcome. Yunho has to admit, he's growing rather fond of this ragtag bunch of weres. Jeong-su smiles, he and Heechul making their way over last and passing out their own hugs and fond hellos. Jaejoong busies himself by introducing Minwoo to everyone, and the guardian instantly seems to become a topic of great interest.

Jonghyun corners Changmin almost immediately and starts talking excitedly, which catches Yunho's attention. Changmin waves him over with a smile, and he excuses himself from current company, wanting to see what all the fuss is about. Changmin takes his hand as he arrives, giving it a squeeze. He nudges Jonghyun. "Go ahead, tell him!"

Jonghyun beams, happier than Yunho has yet to see him. "I'm sorry, I'm just really excited. My mate, Kibum, had our pups last week. They're so beautiful, you'll have to come see them sometime!" Yunho smiles back, and immediately understands why Changmin called him over. To put his mind at ease about their own children, to show him that it is doable, and maybe it's not quite as scary as he'd originally thought. However, there's a few things he needs to know, now that he has an experienced person to talk to.

"I'm really happy for you, Jonghyun, that's awesome. Can I ask a possibly silly question?" Yunho queries with a raised brow. Jonghyun laughs, patting him on the shoulder. "Of course you can. I know this is your first experience, so there's no such thing as a silly question." He winks, and Yunho shrugs. "Well, alright then. When they're born...what do they look like? Human..or were?"

Jonghyun chuckles. "I had a feeling you'd ask that." Changmin nods, piping up. "I'm curious about that as well. I've heard different things, but I don't know how accurate they are." Yunho gives Changmin a look. "I thought you said they could be either/or, or a mix?" Changmin shrugs. "I told you I wasn't sure of the science behind it. My knowledge is based mostly on hearsay." Yunho sighs at this sudden admittance, and Jonghyun busts out laughing. "Ah, you two are a trip. Allow me to clear up the mystery, hmm?" Yunho and Changmin both turn their attention back to Jonghyun, infinitely curious.

"It's uncommon for there to be a mix. My pups were born looking like normal human babies. They've got a far bigger appetite than a normal human, let me tell you, but otherwise to the outside world, they don't appear to be unusual. Once they hit their teenage years, they'll start to develop were abilities, such as the shift." Jonghyun explains, gesturing with his hands. Yunho nods, understanding. Clearly in Changmin's case, he and his brother were born the opposite, as wolf pups that later developed. He puts it all together in his mind, and it seems easy enough to grasp. He chuckles. "Well, I'm glad. It'd be rather odd raising one half as babies and the other as pups." Jonghyun nods, still grinning. "Definitely." 

Yunho can't help but wonder if his royal heritage might have an effect on what kind of pups Changmin will bear, but he pushes that thought aside for the moment. There's immediate concerns that need to be addressed. 

"Alright, everyone!" Yunho speaks loudly, addressing the crowd at large. "If I could have your attention for a few moments. Is there someone that can tell me what exactly we know right now?" 

Jeong-su raises a hand, making his way back over to where Yunho and Changmin are standing. Out of the corner of Yunho's eye, he notices Junsu and Yoochun speaking to each other in hushed tones in a far corner of the room, both seemingly rather agitated. But unfortunately he's unable to investigate, as his question is being answered. 

"What we took out that day in the garage was a good percentage of the pack, to be sure." Jeong-su explains. "But what was left appears to have been spending their spare time regrouping. There's a new alpha, Han Geng, and he's spearheading the movement." Changmin speaks up. "Han Geng? I don't remember him at all, where did he come from..." Jeong-su nods. "They've recruited from other nearby packs, and some not so nearby. Siwon apparently had connections in China and Japan, and they've utilized them to the fullest. I fear what's coming after us now may make what we faced before pale in comparison."

Yunho sighs. Knowing what he now knows about Siwon, that he helped destroy the royal family, it doesn't surprise him at all that the were would have had connections all over the world. Possibly even some in Russia, a thought which scares Yunho more than he'd openly admit. If anyone were to find out about him, they'd be at war for the rest of their lives. (And from what he's gathered so far...weres live a long, long time...) And Yunho can't help but fear that there's someone out there that knows, or if they don't know now, they'll figure it out soon enough. Minwoo walks to the center of the room, gathering everyone's attention. "Don't panic, everyone. We have a weapon stronger than what you may realize." He turns to Yunho. "Can these people be trusted?"

Yunho nods fervently. "They've already seen at least part of what I'm capable of, and they've offered their lives to defend and protect us. I can't think of anyone I'd trust more than this lot."

Minwoo nods. Junsu and Yoochun appear to have ended their private conversation and are both looking at the newcomer curiously, as are all the others. 

"For those of you that haven't spoken to me, my name is Minwoo. I was the guardian of the were royal family for many, many years. So many I've lost track." He chuckles softly. Every eye in the place is on him, particularly at the mention of the royal family. "If you don't understand the significance of that, the royal family were the first ever werewolves. A few decades ago, they were murdered. All but one."

He raises a finger, pointing directly at Yunho. "This is the last remaining werewolf royal. That makes him your King. If he dies, the royal bloodline dies with him, and I can't guarantee anyone's survival if that happens. Our kind may die out altogether. No matter what," He gestures to Yunho again, "he must live," He then gestures to Changmin. "and he who carries his offspring must live. Everyone got that?"

Minwoo is met with blank stares all around, a whole lot of dropped jaws, and someone near the back, (Yunho thinks it was Ryeowook?) hits the floor, having fainted right on the spot.

This ought to be an interesting day...


	9. War and Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoochun chases Junsu back through the trees, back towards where they came, and they disappear from sight....

Once Jeong-su's crew had recovered from the shock and Minwoo had a chance to sit and explain things a bit more thoroughly, everyone seemed to accept the situation and recognize its importance. After all, having seen Yunho's abilities for themselves, it wasn't really that far-fetched. If anything, the new knowledge served to rally them together more than ever, and give them a real reason to fight. Protecting their lineage and well-being is the main focus of any werewolf, it's in their blood, their very core. The pack mentality flows strongly, and Yunho and Changmin can't help but to feel more loved and safe than ever. 

"Alright, guys." Jaejoong announces, standing up and making his presence known amongst the chatter. "As usual, we need a game plan. And preferably rather quickly." 

Yunho nods, immediately concurring. "Agreed. Although this time, I don't think my office garage is the best place for a battle royale. I don't know how the hell you all managed to clean up that mess so quickly, but I think we can all agree that was some risky shit." The crowd rumbles it's agreement, some nodding, some cheering or laughing. At Jaejoong's raised eyebrow, everyone simmers back down. "An excellent point, my friend. And so, I was thinking..." He begins, scanning the room. "Perhaps we should meet them on their own terf this time. It's dangerous considering that they'd have homefield advantage, but....if we can catch them off guard, it might pay off in the end." 

Changmin is seated next to Yunho, curled into the elder's side. Junsu is next to Heechul again, looking uncomfortable much as before, but like he's attempting to be more friendly to the man. Yunho notices, and it confuses him, but as he spots Yoochun sulking in the corner, it's pretty easy to put two and two together. Unfortunately, there's too much else going on right now and he's unable to focus on his friends' suffering, much as he'd like to. His attention is diverted as Jeong-su begins to speak, putting in his two cents on the idea. "That could work, actually. We'd have to act fast, though. One of my connections has been doing a bit of espionage for us, keeping an eye on the pack. Last we heard a few days ago, there had been no movement, but that could have easily changed. We'd want to set out at dawn, at the very least." 

The crowd once again murmurs assent, seeming for the most part to enjoy this new tactic. Minwoo rises from his spot beside Jaejoong, smiling at the other alpha. "I would have to agree as well. In my experience, going on the offensive is far better than sitting around and waiting for the enemy to attack. That's how we lost much of the royal family the first time around. I don't intend to have a repeat, not as long as I'm alive to stop it." More cheers are heard, and it seems the decision has majority rule. However, soon all eyes are on Yunho. Literally the entire room stops, looks directly at him, like he has the final say. It's the strangest thing, and at first, Yunho is totally taken aback by it. He had never been anyone particularly special, before all this happened, and it's still weird, feeling like so many people's fates rest on his shoulders. He clears his throat, realizing that he's expected to speak. "Y-yea. Sounds perfect." He nods. "So, I think we should all just relax tonight, get plenty of sleep, and we'll head out first thing in the morning. Sound good?"

The room erupts in more cheers and claps, everyone smiling and the atmosphere turns jovial. It's not really the were way to dwell on negativity and what might happen, but rather to live in the moment and enjoy what's right in front of you. Jaejoong throws together some meat for everyone and they all eat in peace, and for the most part, all calm for now. Yunho spends the majority of his evening just observing, watching the others interact, grateful for every single one of them and their presence in his life. However, as the night goes on, he can't help but to notice the growing unhappiness between Yoochun and Junsu, and he knows precisely why. But it's not his place to interfere, and there's nothing really he can do to help.

He nearly jolts when the thought hits him. There very much is a way he can help. But he has no idea the mechanics of it, how to go about doing it. He sighs, tucking the thought away for now. Yunho knows it's one of those things that he'll just have to figure out for himself, and prays that when the time is right, he'll understand what to do. 

Around midnight, the hustle and bustle dies down in the apartment, and everyone drifts off to sleep. Yunho curls his arm possessively around the love of his life, trying not to think of what tomorrow may bring. The stakes are just as high as they were before, if not higher, and he can't help but feel nervous. Closing his eyes, sleep comes upon him fitfully, until he finally sucuumbs to the darkness and banishes all worries for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning comes all too soon, as it always does when there's something important to be done. Yunho is worried..more so than before, and most of his worry is concentrated towards Changmin. His mate is far more pregnant than he was the last time they did battle with these assholes, and therefore, all the more vulnerable. It was difficult keeping him safe, but it's even more crucial to do so now than before. He knows Changmin feels badly about it, too, like he's a liability. But there's a deeper understanding now, at least Yunho thinks so. And he knows one thing above all; even if he dies, Changmin must live. At all costs. And he'd be more than happy to lay down his life if that's what it took to make sure that happens.

The group gathers up their belongings and heads out, in separate vehicles and on different roads, so as not to arouse too much suspicion. There's always the possibility that one or more of the enemy pack has located and been watching them, and could be trying to follow them even right this moment. The plan as it stands currently is to get as far as they can by car and van, then once they get closer to the woods where the enemy pack has created their stronghold, exit the vehicles, shift, and go forward on foot. Or, more accurately, on four paws.

The trip northward seems to go on forever, and Yunho's not certain if that's just because he's on edge or not. His particular vehicle is being drive by Jaejoong, with Minwoo in the passenger seat, Yoochun, Junsu, Heechul, and Jeong-Su gathered in the middle row, himself, Changmin, Jonghyun and Jinki crammed in the back. They are breaking some safety laws, Yunho is sure of it, but there is too much else at stake right now to worry about something so trivial in comparison. They all talk amongst themselves, mostly Minwoo, who regales them all of tales from the old days. Yunho half wonders just exactly how old Minwoo is. He knows weres live fairly long lives, but is there a limit? He'd never really pondered the idea of being immortal. He makes a mental note to ask the man some time, perhaps when all this has died down.

Minwoo's tales are calming to listen to, his voice pleasant. Changmin rubs his belly from where he sits curled up next to Yunho, as it seems the babies are calmed by the man's voice as well. It helps pass the time, helps get Yunho's mind off the madness that's no doubt about to be thrust upon them. But as it always seems to, reality hits too quickly. Soon, Jaejoong is veering off the path and into a bit of a clearing, parking in a spot that is hidden behind the trees lining the main road. From here, they have to go on foot to meet up with the others closer to their target area, and it's not a quick journey by any means. Yunho just hopes Changmin can make it safely in his condition. 

As the group exits the vehicle, Yunho has a thought. "Hey, guys. Would it maybe be wiser to leave Changmin here? Wouldn't he be far safer away from the fray?"

Jeong-Su seems to consider that for a moment. "A good point, but we can't very well leave him alone and unguarded. Nor can we afford to leave any fighters too far behind. Besides....I can't imagine you'd want him that far out of your sight." Yunho sighs, scratching his head. "Of course I don't. I'm just not sure what to do, how best to keep him safe." Jeong-Su nods, giving an encouraging smile. "I've been in contact with our little spy. He should be meeting us any moment, and he'll be able to keep an eye on Changmin. There are trees circling the pack village, it'll be easy to keep him out of enemy sight." 

Yunho nods, feeling only slightly better. This is far different than the parking garage. "Can we at least set up some type of signal?" He turns to his lover. "Like you send out a signal if trouble is coming for you, so we can come help?" Changmin nods. "That should be easy enough. I'll make sure I stay shifted so everyone will hear through the pack mind. I'll just yell alpha or something. Loudly." Yunho smiles. "Lord knows you know how to be loud.." Changmin rolls his eyes, giving his alpha a harsh smack on the shoulder while Yunho just chuckles. "Why do I love you..." The younger mutters, and Yunho just keeps on grinning. "Must be my sexual prowess..." 

The rest of the party just rolls their eyes, muttering in annoyance at the playful couple. Suddenly, there's a russle in the trees not far from where they're standing, and an unfamiliar figure appears. "Ah.." Jeong-su says aloud, gesturing towards the newcomer. "Here's our guy. Hey Taemin!" He yells and waves, and the man gives a small wave back, making his way over to the group. He looks young, and pretty lean, and Yunho is a bit skeptical about this being the person that's in charge of his partner's safety. Taemin arrives in front of them, and Jeong-su gives the formal introduction. Yunho shakes the kid's hand, trying to smile, when in reality he feels more ill at ease than ever. "This is the guy that has been the source of our intel. Jonghyun and Jinki put him to work, it seems..." Jeong-su declares, patting Taemin on the shoulder. "We would be completely in the dark if not for him."

Seemingly sensing Yunho's unease, Jeong-su continues to sing Taemin's praises. "He might look small, but he's stronger than you can even imagine. Not to mention _fast_. He's the person I'd trust most to watch over Changmin." He says with all certainty, and Yunho can't find it within himself to refute anything. He trusts Jeong-su if nothing else, and if Jeong-su says the kid's a whiz, it must be true. Yunho slings an arm around Changmin's shoulders, looking at Taemin with an unspoken plea in his eyes. "I appreciate your help, Taemin. I hope you know how important it is to keep him safe." Taemin nods, and smiles. "I'm fully aware, sir. I promise I'll defend your mate and the heirs with my life." 

Yunho begins to feel a little better. He doesn't think anything would completely ease his fears, but that's pretty normal for them. Without much further ado, they set off into the woods, not a one of them a hundred percent certain what they're about to face...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They make their way through the woods, Yunho keeping an eye on Changmin all the way. They had to leave all their clothes and phones in the vehicle, but Jeong-su checked in with the rest of the crew prior to them taking off so they have a set location at the very least. The way is much quicker in wolf form, and thankfully, it's not quite as treacherous as Yunho had feared. After about an hour of travel, they come to a big wall of trees, beyond which lies the enemy pack village. They no sooner than arrive before they're surrounded by the other two teams, one that Yunho doesn't recognize. According to Jeong-su, they're a Southern pack that has helped them out in the past and are good allies. Yunho is happy to have more help, to be sure. They all gather around and for the first time in awhile, Yunho is filled with hope.

There's about 50 of them all told, just from the quick head count that Yunho was able to do in a few short moments. Not a huge army, by any means, but a lot more than what they had before. Absently, Yunho wonders what Jeong-su must have accomplished in his lifetime, as he seems to have a huge amount of respect from all of these weres. Either way, he doesn't know what they'd do without his help and leadership.

" _Alright_.." Jeong-su speaks, getting everyone's attention through the collective mind. " _The enemy is on the other side of these trees. According to Taemin's reports,_ " he gestures towards their spy, " _we're looking at about 60 or so in number, so we may be slightly outmanned but nothing we can't handle_." He continues, easily and confidently. " _Just remember_ ," he gestures his head at Yunho, " _he must be protected_ ," and he nods to Changmin, " _and we must to ready to come to his aid at any time if necessary_." The crowd at large murmurs their assent. 

" _This is not going to be a pleasant mission I'm afraid, and we can't show any mercy_." Jeong-su continues. " _There's a chance they may even be waiting for us. Be prepared for anything_." He insists, and the pack mind as a whole states its agreement. The alpha looks to Taemin, who's fur is a light golden brown color. " _You know what to do."_ Jeong-su makes eye contact with the young wolf, who nods in assent. " _The rest of you, spread out. I'll take my team through right here, the other two teams should emerge from elsewhere so we cover more ground."_ The groups split off immediately, to the left and right, farther down the line of trees. Yunho takes one last opportunity to nuzzle Changmin, licking around his jaw affectionately. " _I love you. Be safe."_ He looks to Taemin, the urgency shown in his eyes, and the younger understands. 

They breach the trees into the clearing upon Jeong-su's command, at their designated spots, ready for anything. But unfortunately, what they encounter on the other side surpasses even their wildest imaginings...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's a man there to greet them, whom Yunho can only assume is Han Geng. He's accompanied by what looks like a hell of a lot more than 60 people.

"Welcome everyone! Come on out, all of you, don't be shy. We've been waiting so patiently." 

Yunho's heart thuds away in his chest. It's clear they've lost the element of surprise, and he can only pray that they can still win this somehow. He wishes right about now that he could just access his berserker ability at will, but that doesn't appear to be how it works. The rest of what numbers they have emerges from the trees and they all clump together automatically. Thankfully, Changmin does not emerge, so it's clear that thus far Taemin is doing his job properly. It's only a small comfort, though.

"Wonderful." Han Geng says. Yunho idly wonders why he's staying in his human form, but that concern is pretty low on the list. "Now that you're all here, I have a proposition for you." The man looks around, smiling in a way that makes Yunho feel ill at ease. "My name is Han Geng, and I've taken over this pack. Minho was a dear friend, and unfortunately for all of you, I'd been notified of the situation quite awhile ago, before you slaughtered half the pack, so as you can see," He gestures to the crowd around him," we've had plenty of time to prepare." Yunho swallows, heart rate increasing rapidly. "That being said, you have two options." He speaks to everyone at large, "you either turn over Changmin to us and we let the rest of you live, or....we kill you all."

Yunho lets out a howl, and the order ripples through the pack mind so quickly that he barely has time to react.  _"ATTACK! ATTACK NOW!!"_ Jeong-Su yells, and everyone lurches forward. Han Geng shifts immediately into a were with golden fur, and the ranks enclose around them with incredible swiftness. It's a clash of teeth, fur flying and claws slicing through the air. They're outnumbered at least 3 to 1 all around, but Jeong-Su and the others all fight valiantly. Yunho can't even concentrate on what's happening with anyone else, he's too busy fighting the weres that are surrounding him at the moment. Time seems to elongate and blur; as he manages to get one guy down, another takes his place. He barely has time to breathe, and all he can do is fight and hope to go he doesn't wear down too quickly. 

There's so much going on, Yunho's uncertain how he's managing to keep himself alive. He was able to keep tabs via his peripheral on Jeong-su for awhile, catching glimpses of Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun here and there, but no longer...the enemy is too swift and there's simply too many. It gets to the point, after god knows how much time has passed, where half his army could be dead and he'd have no idea, and that scares him to death. No cries have gone out, so Yunho can only assume all is well for the time being. That changes swiftly, however.

Suddenly, the crowd around Yunho seems to shift in a different direction, and he feels an immediate feeling of dread permeate his system. A scream echoes in his head, a voice he knows all too well, and two of the men flanking him suddenly run off. By the time he realizes what's happened and can shake the shock off enough to move, all he can do is take off as fast as he can and pray Changmin is ok...

" _PROTECT CHANGMIN!!!"_ Jeong-Su cries out, and Yunho's heart explodes. He runs and runs until he finally sees the crowd gathered around the love of his life. Yoochun, Jaejoong, and Junsu are surrounding Changmin, whom Yunho can barely catch a glimpse of due to the sheer number of weres. Hang Geng appears to be the one staging the attack, and Yunho watches in horror as the bastard's teeth sink into the upper part of Changmin's shoulder, where it joins the base of the neck. He howls in agony, terror flooding him and causing a familiar feeling to ripple through him, that of immense power and a desire for bloodlust.

Yunho grows massively tall, just as he did before, strength flowing and the urge to murder spurring him on. He arrives in front of Changmin so quickly it's as if he teleported there, but before he can help, someone else is there, doing something unimaginably brave. 

Yoochun is on Han Geng in a split second, quite literally yanking him off of Changmin by the teeth. An arc of blood sprays from Changmin's wound and he falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Jaejoong steps in front of him, Minwoo coming from behind and making sure that no one else can cause further damage. Yunho shakes himself out of his daze, setting to the task of taking out as many enemy weres as he can. They just keep coming, but he does his best to make his way over to where Yoochun is going to town on Han Geng. The problem is, the enemy pack seems none to happy that their leader is being killed, and so Yoochun appears to have at least eight weres on his back, trying to rip him to shreds. Junsu appears to be doing his best to help, but it's mostly in vain.

Yunho tosses several weres to the side at once, clearing a path to his lover as quickly as he can. He loses count of how many weres he tears through, but every single life he takes feels a whole lot better than it should. It doesn't strike him as odd that the enemies aren't running in fear at the sight of him, he's too busy trying to get to Changmin and his pups, that's the only thing that matters. Yunho is all too happy to personal rip all of the bastards off of Yoochun's back, tearing them to shreds with his claws. Yoochun looks a mess, fur matted with blood and chest appearing to be heaving. Han Geng, on the other hand, is hanging on by a thread. The man looks up at Yunho with fire in his eyes, speaking to him directly. " _We know who you are, Your Highness. I could smell it on you the moment you stepped into my territory and I warned the others. I was there when your parents were killed. I'd never forget that scent."_

While that explains the pack's lack of surprise with his abilities, it does nothing to quell Yunho's temper. Han Geng uses his final breath to say, " _You'll never live in peace. You'll always be hunted. And if your little bitch dies, I'll consider all my grievances...avenged..."_ Han Geng's eyes roll back and he gasps, falling completely limp. Yoohun turns to him, assuring him, " _I'll live. Check on Changmin."_ As Yunho looks to his right, Changmin appears to be non-moving, Minwoo hovering over him chanting, hands pressed into his chest, Jaejoong doing his best to help. It breaks his heart to walk away, shatters every fiber of his being, but there's too many other enemies still breathing and he knows the best thing he can do for his love is slaughter them all.  _"Keep him alive.."_

Jaejoong and Minwoo recieve the message, Minwoo responding. " _Do what you must, my King. Changmin is still with us, the babies are with us and I'm speeding up his healing process as best I can. I will not fail him."_

Yunho howls, standing up to his full height and setting about the task of making mincemeat out of the rest of the enemy pack. It doesn't take him very long, and by the time he's finished, he feels like all of the immense energy has rushed out of his body, and he falls back into his normal were form, pratically limping back towards the others. Fortunately, everyone seems to be alive. Beaten to a pulp, some of them, but alive. But as always, there's really only one person he wants to see right now. Changmin comes into view, and he appears to be conscious, the bleeding stopped, and he's breathing slowly. Jaejoong and Minwoo are still watching over him, Junsu there as well and appears to be talking to him, though of course his lips aren't moving. Yunho nuzzles him, and Changmin's eyes say everything. 

_"I'm ok, baby. Pups ok. I'm weak, but..."_ Yunho shushes him with a few long licks to the jaw, hovering over him and blanketing him with the full length of his body, rubbing against him and comforting as best he can. Yunho feels a surge of greatfulness run through him like a shock, and there's one person that it's aimed towards. One person that might very well be the reason that the love of his life is still breathing right now.

_"Yoochun. Come here if you're able, please."_

The were appears before them, moving a lot more slowly than normal, still battered, but intact. " _Hey, boss. What can I do for ya?"_

Yunho pads up closer to him, pressing his nose into the other's shoulder. He has no idea where this is coming from, how he knows what to do, or even exactly what the hell is even happening, but he just knows it in his core. " _What you've done for me today is something I'll be indebted to you forever for. I wish I could do even more for you, but I hope this is enough of a gift.."_

_"Wha?..."_ Yoochun begins, clearly confused, but he stops dead as he feels power shift from Yunho onto himself. His wounds heal instantly, and a feeling he doesn't recognize washes over him. Something is very much different, he feels like a brand new were, and his general senses seem to shift and amplify. It's almost as if he's looking at the world around him in a whole new light, and he knows something monumental and life-altering just happened..

_"Yoochun. You will stand beside me any time I call on you, you are a leader now and I expect you to bear the burden well. I know you won't let me down, Alpha."_

Yoochun's lupine eyes seem to double in size, out of shock or something similar. " _I....are you serious?"_

But deep down, Yoochun can feel it. He knows it in his very bones that everything has changed, even the smells have changed, and one in particular is too mouth-watering to deny. 

Yoochun turns immediately to Junsu, and something seems to pass in the air between them. Yoochun looks to Yunho, as if asking permission.  _"Go. We'll get everyone gathered up, don't take too long..."_

Yoochun chases Junsu back through the trees, back towards where they came, and they disappear from sight.


End file.
